MMPR Dawn of Primacy: Vergence
by J Raine
Summary: Book 2 of the Dawn of Primacy Trilogy. All reality stands on the brink of destruction as Rangers from two dimensions must unite against the darkness of an alternate existence in a desperate gamble to prevent all reality's demise. MMPR-PRDT
1. Chapter 1

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Vergence

-1-

He was falling into a deep pit, below him an eruption of white-hot, burning rock flew up into the air to meet him. In a calm slowness he could see a weapon before him slashing through the stones, reducing them to powder as the twin blades burned with a jade green glow. Then he felt his feet touch down upon the ground, everything was silent as the ground around him cracked and exploded sending more fiery debris into the sky as the ground under him sunk in a circle sloping up from the center.

Through the haze of black dust and burning embers a menacing figure rose from the ground, the tips of his twin swords scraping over the ground sparking with a burning ethereal blue. The hilt of each sword opened in a fanged maw where a dark onyx blade projected out; a ghostly red tendril coiled around the blade like some ghastly tongue. The figure's armor was black as the night and yet within the plate glowing red faces of screaming, tormented people could be seen; ghostly hands seemed to press against the armor as if trying to escape. As he looked up his eyes met those of the towering warrior, two burning fires raged from a slit in the helmet, the only point where the thick plating did not cover him.

The warrior's arms flew wide, spreading his twin swords to either side. His foot moved forward as he began his charge, the thick armor jostled and clanged as the hulking mass of the warrior within shook with each thunderous footfall. As he approached the black sword blades began to close in from either side. In a rush of green light a bladed staff arced in a circle striking the sword on the left from the bottom, knocking it into the air while simultaneously slamming the sword on the right into the ground, tearing a gash into the solid rock beneath their feet.

The world suddenly began to spin as he felt himself turning away from the warrior as one of his legs rose in a wide arc, the heel of his foot striking the center of the warrior's chest. As if suddenly released from the bonds of time the dark warrior flew back at an incredible speed into the rock wall behind him. Rubble and debris flew from the wall seemingly drifting through the air as it spun toward him before passing out of his field of vision.

The warrior pulled himself from the impression in the wall as flecks of stone drifted to the ground calmly as the warrior began to move forward again, black wisps of dust slowly wafting from his form. The swords in his hands slowly rose above his chest as he advanced. The right sword fell first.

The green blades he seemed to control suddenly flared with a radiant jade light, as the faint form of a dragon manifested in a deep forest green for an instant before vanishing. His counterstrike soared up to meet the warrior's first strike as the sword in the warrior's left hand also began its descent toward him. As the shimmering jade blade met with the onyx sword energy arced from the emerald edge across the demon weapon; green energy danced over its surface fracturing the foul sword into thousands of pieces in an instant. The dark blade shattered into tiny slivers that spun through the air as the green flames licked over the surface of each piece as it extinguished. A monstrous roar echoed over the otherwise silent landscape, shaking the walls and causing rocks to tumble down the slopes of the wall.

The other side of his weapon leapt to meet the second blade as it fell toward him. As the two blades connected the second sword shattered in an identical fashion leaving him standing face to face with the dark warrior in a shower of black shards. Another loud roar reverberated through the air as the thousands of tiny shards vibrated in resonance.

The staff suddenly vanished from his hands as he drew his arms into his chest, curling his hands into fists, before thrusting them forward into the chest of the dark warrior. As his fists connected there was an explosion of green light from the point of impact as a shockwave rippled through the air distorting it. Dust and small stones flew from the impact point as a heavy wind swept over the ground causing the white flames all around to rage outward.

In a flash the dark warrior disappeared into the side of the rock face once more as dust and stone flew out in all directions slowly expanding into the air. Slowly, as the black haze consumed him, the warrior began to pull himself from the wall. Dust rose from his body like an ominous black cloud. The warrior regarded his destroyed weapon for what seemed like minutes before casting them aside.

As the weapons slowly spun to the ground he could see his hand raise, his fingers curling toward himself in a challenge.

"You think you've won?" The warrior said; his deep booming voice shaking the ground as his fiery eyes burned into the depth of his soul. The warrior laughed sending a chill down his spine. "Without my sword you will have no hope of a quick death. Now witness true power; despair, and die."

The warrior began to move forward again, his footfalls ringing like thunder. He moved to strike the warrior, his leg slowly rising in the wide arc of a roundhouse. Suddenly, in a flash the warrior had moved. The dark figure now stood alongside him and held his leg against his chest with a single arm. Then in an instant his other arm had left his side, the fist appearing against his chest.

He suddenly found himself in darkness, the hard, cold feeling of stone beneath his body was the first sensation he noticed. In a near lucid state he began to move forward toward the faint light before him. His whole body strained as if unwilling to move yet somehow he managed to pull himself forward, his feet sliding over the edge of a cliff as he fell forward onto firm ground trying to stay on his feet.

He lifted his gaze looking around, trying to take in where he was when he suddenly caught a flash in the distance as a dark object vanished into a rapidly expanding void; he had only the faintest impression of an armored fist consuming his field of vision before everything went black.

Joshua Raine awoke suddenly, sitting up in bed. His pale face was streaked with sweat that ran down his neck and over his well developed chest. He inhaled deeply as he brought his breathing under control, the once vivid details of his nightmare fading quickly into a haze of vague impressions. He glanced to his left as he heard a quiet sigh.

Kimberly rolled onto her side facing away from him, apparently still asleep as the soft, veiled morning light streaked over her face. Josh glanced over at the clock, it was nearly seven. Josh carefully kicked his feet out to the side and sat on the edge of the bed. As the images in his mind continued to wash away along with his lucid state he twisted the gold band on his left hand as he looked nostalgically at it for a moment before glancing back over his shoulder at Kimberly with a smile. Rising from the bed slowly he removed his pajama bottoms and took a pair of khaki shorts that were folded over a chair near the bed and put them on.

Without a sound he opened the door into the hallway and slipped out of the room closing the door behind him. While his ears had perceived no noise in his actions, the sound of the dog stirring in the kitchen revealed otherwise. As he walked down the hall toward the living room he could hear the excited steps of their Golden Retriever, Hailey, as she made her way out of the kitchen to meet him. The dog emerged around the corner, her tail wagging back and forth as she quickly made her way to Josh's side pressing up against his right leg.

"Morning girl," Josh whispered as he scratched the top of Hailey's head.

Hailey licked her lips as she pressed her cold nose against the side of Josh's abdomen. Josh's hand slid down the side of the dog's head as he scratched her behind the ears while he looked around the room for his sweatshirt. Spotting it draped over the corner of the couch he proceeded across the room toward it, the dog following closely at his side, her tags clanging together softly as she went. The coolness of the hardwood floor against his feet was refreshing, helping to ease the faint shadows that still dwelt among the cobwebs in his mind.

As he passed through the living room he paused for a moment glancing into the display case on the back wall. Inside were the gold medals he and Kimberly had both won in the Pan Global games. Below the medals were various trophies and medals they had received from various competitions along with several items from Josh's Muay Tai fights in the underground rings of Bangkok. Josh's gaze rose to the top of the display where his Ultimate Fighting Championship Belt hung above it all. Hailey rubbed her nose against his leg bringing him back from his thoughts.

"Right," he whispered rubbing Hailey's head. "No living in the past, have to keep moving forward."

He moved quickly across the room and plucked the sleeveless sweatshirt from the couch and pulled it on before wandering into the kitchen. With a yawn he opened a low cupboard and pulled a large plastic bin from the space and opened it. Reaching in, he scooped up a small amount of dog food into a cup and poured it into Hailey's bowl. As Hailey quickly began devouring her morning meal Josh closed the bin and slid it back into the cupboard.

Going to the sink he pulled a small mug from the left cabinet and filled it with water. Proceeding to another cabinet he passed by the microwave and placed his cup inside to heat. As the hum of the microwave's fan droned on Josh began rummaging through the cabinet through several boxes of tea before selecting a Green Tea bag from one of the boxes and wandering back toward the microwave.

Stretching his arms out to his sides he began to lean forward, bringing his arms in as he placed his elbow on the counter and stared hazily at the digital display on the microwave as he watched the timer countdown. When the counter reached one he opened the door to avoid hearing the tone and pressed the 'cancel' button as he retrieved his cup. Dropping the tea bag in the cup Josh headed toward the back door as he bobbed the bag in his cup.

Hailey turned away from the small amount of food still left in her dish and followed after him as he slid his feet into a black pair of sandals and opened the door. The wash of salty sea air immediately rushed into his lungs revitalizing his body as he inhaled deeply. Hailey squeezed passed him into the yard through the opening, ignoring the dog door. The morning fog still hung in the air painting the sky in a light gray as the gentle roar of the crashing waves danced up to greet him.

Josh began to walk toward the end of the yard, where Hailey already stood waiting by the gate. As Josh lifted the latch the dog quickly slid through before he could finish opening the gate. As he stepped out of his yard he was greeted by the rocky steps that led down the cliff face to the sandy beach below. Josh took a moment to enjoy the view as Hailey eagerly scampered down the stairs. Raising his cup to his lips he blew across the surface of the tea before taking a sip.

"Looks like it will be a beautiful day," he uttered to himself as he began to descend down the steps.

Kimberly Raine opened her eyes as she gazed toward the faded light that filtered in through the blinds; Josh's side of the bed way already empty. Kimberly rubbed her eyes as she glanced over at the clock; it was about a quarter passed seven. He was probably down on the beach practicing his Tai Chi. With a yawn Kimberly sat up and turned toward the edge of the bed. Grabbing a small band from the nightstand she pulled part of the sides of her hair back in a small ponytail leaving the rest hanging freely and got up. Discarding her nightie, she pulled on a pair of white cloth shorts and a pink hoodie and headed out of the room.

"Hailey, you here girl?" She called as she entered the living room, there was no response.

She must be out with Josh. Kimberly wandered into the kitchen and went through her morning ritual of getting a cup of tea. She had never been much of a tea drinker in the past, but with Josh's constant use of tea, a habit he had learned growing up in Japan and China, she had found herself learning to appreciate the finer points of the different varieties. As the microwave toned, indicating the water was ready Kimberly removed her cup and submersed her tea bag as she walked back into the living room. Placing her cup on the table she sat down on the couch curling into a ball in the corner as she allowed herself to slowly awaken.

As her eyes drifted around the room her gaze came to rest on several pictures from their wedding hanging on the wall. A smile crossed her face as she became lost in the smiles they both wore as they stood on the altar together, their first day as a married couple, and now, in less than a week they would be celebrating their first anniversary together.

Then out the corner of her eye she caught sight of the trophy case. As her focus changed her eyes wandered down from the UFC Belt to their gold medal before coming to a rest on a rolled ball of rope in a glass box. The rope was frayed in places and had small fragments of broken glass protruding from its form. Kimberly regarded the oddity with a mixture of happiness and unpleasantness. While in her eyes it was the greatest trophy present she shuttered when she thought of that day that had created it.

Snapping herself from her thoughts Kimberly reached down and took her cup and had a sip of her tea. As the warm liquid flowed into her she could feel its warmth radiating out through her body. Slowly she began unfolding, like the blossoming of a flower in the morning sun. After a few moments Kimberly placed her feet down on the floor and stood up. Walking into the kitchen she slid her feet into a pair of flip-flops and exited into the backyard.

As the sights, sounds, and smell of the ocean played across her senses she noticed the back gate was open. Walking across the yard on the stepping stones that lead from the back door to the gate she pulled the wooden door back and stepped out onto the rocky ledge overlooking the beach.

Down below she could see Joshua practicing his Tai Chi. His graceful movements flowing in harmony with the tide as if he were one with the ocean itself. Beyond him Hailey played along the waterline chasing after Seagulls and various objects caught in the surf. Kimberly smiled as she paused, enjoying the moment. Finally she began to descend the steps toward the beach. As she neared the bottom Josh caught sight of her, his calm composure giving way to a smile as he closed up his kata a few moves short. He began to walk toward her.

"You don't need to stop just because of me," she said as she placed her cup down next to his and removed her flip-flops placing them on top of his sandals.

"My Tai Chi can wait, nothing's more important than you," Joshua replied placing his arms around her. His right hand rose and caressed her cheek as he looked deep into her brown eyes.

"What about maintaining your discipline?" she teased pressing against him.

"Having discipline means knowing what's truly important," he replied tenderly kissing her lips, his hand running back through her hair.

Kimberly melted in his embrace, her whole world swallowed up in his love for her. Joshua drew her in as their kiss ended; she buried her head in his chest, his chin resting on her head. Kimberly let out a deep breath as her body relaxed. Her shoulder length hair was blowing in the wind. Hailey, feeling left out, ran over to the couple and pressed up against them whimpering slightly. Kimberly reached down and scratched her behind the ears.

"What's wrong Hailey?" Kimberly said playfully, "Are you jealous?"

Josh released Kimberly and sat down in the sand as he guided her down in front of himself between his raised knees. His hands grasping hers; their fingers interlaced as he placed his arms around hers and closed them around her waist. His face was next to hers as the two stared out at the waves. Kimberly could hear his heart beating, the steady rhythm holding with the ebb and flow of the tide, even his breathing harmonized with the flow of the ocean, nowhere could be more peaceful. Hailey sat down next to them watching them closely.

"So is everything alright?" Kimberly asked. "You were already gone when I woke up this morning."

"I had that nightmare again," Josh replied.

"I'm sorry," Kimberly replied turning her head slightly and kissing his cheek. "You alright now?" she asked.

"Yeah," Josh sighed. "It's like all the other times, it fades so quickly when I wake up, but it feels so real, like it actually happened."

"Maybe you should go see someone?" Kimberly suggested.

"No," Josh sighed. "I'll get it sorted out; it's only been six months."

"I know," Kimberly replied. "I just don't like seeing you upset by this."

"It'll be okay," Josh said giving her a squeeze.

Hailey moved in and licked the side of Josh's face.

"Ah, Hailey, quit it," Josh said as he moved his head away.

"See, she wants you to be happy too," Kimberly said.

"If things get worse I'll go see someone," Josh replied. "I promise."

"Okay," Kimberly conceded. "Are you ready for breakfast then?"

"Maybe in a little bit, right now I just want this moment to last."

"Okay," Kimberly replied in a whisper as she leaned her head against his cheek. "We can stay here as long as you want."

There was an uneasy silence in the room as the members of Time Force sat around the massive conference table awaiting the arrival of the remaining members. Opposite the door, in a black command uniform, was Director Paul Westcott, an elderly man with strong facial features, piercing blue eyes, and thick silver hair. To his right was SRD Director Alex Davis and to his left Captain Tyler Logan also adorned in their command uniforms. Next to Alex, Jen was seated along with Lucas and Katie, each one looking a little nervous with the suddenness of this meeting; other Time Force Operatives and Personnel were seated around the table each looking on with unease as they waited for the Director to begin the meeting. Beyond the table were a large number of stadium seats in quarter circles in each corner behind railing where other interested parties talked quietly among themselves.

Finally the door slid open as the final team of Time Force Operatives entered the room quietly taking their seats. The Director looked around those assembled for a moment as he cleared his throat and prepared to speak.

"Now that we're all here we can begin the meeting," the Director said, his strong voice carrying across the room even without the amplification system. "As many of you know nearly six years ago we received a communication from the Quantum Ranger, Tommy Oliver in the year nineteen ninety-six."

There was a faint rumbling around the table and in the seats around the periphery as comments were made in hushed tones.

"Play recording," Director Westcott said.

The center of the table lit up as a holographic image was displayed; the lights around the conference room dimming for better clarity. The display flickered as an image materialized. The static was heavy and only the faint silhouette of a Ranger in red was perceivable.

"I think I got it," Trip's voice came from somewhere out of frame.

The picture cleared. The image of the Quantum Ranger loomed in the picture. Behind him, shining in the bright daylight, were several black mounds rising from the sand covered ground like ant hills. To his left the remains of a wall were still visible, likely the interior of the Time Shadow, the armored surface shredded as if by claws.

"Greetings," the Quantum Ranger began. "My name is Tommy Oliver, behind me are the remains of Angel Grove, California in the year nineteen ninety-six,"

A few people gasped, those who had not seen this footage were shocked at what they were seeing. Suddenly several large insect-like creatures dropped into the background amid the loud buzzing of their rapidly moving wings. Rangers in Red, Blue, and Pink from the early Zordonic Era rushed in, their weapons manifesting in bright flashes of light as they quickly dispatched the insects; their twitching forms falling to the ground as they were speared through by blades and arrows.

"We can't stay here, Tommy!" the one in red shouted.

"As you can see, we have a problem," Tommy said.

"Oh my god, what is that!?!" a woman's voice shouted out of frame as Tommy turned to look.

"We are leaving!" the Red Ranger shouted. "Tommy!"

The Quantum Ranger glanced back at the screen for a moment as several Rangers moved through the frame in a blur of colors, the display catching several images as stills and displaying them to the left of the image, the stills showed two blurry Rangers in green and another highly distorted image of one in white, before he started to race off in the same direction. The screen suddenly grew dark as a shadow moved over their location. Tommy froze for a second staring up at something; then in a flash something plowed through his location, the display reverting to static. The image vanished as the lights came back up in the room.

"Now as I'm sure you're all aware the events you have just seen never took place in our timeline." The Director continued. "However, they did take place, and that fact is the reason for this conference today. I will now turn this over to our Special Research and Development Director Alex Davis. Alex?"

"Thank you," Alex replied rising from his seat as he held out a gloved hand toward the center display. The lights dimmed slightly as an image flickered to life showing an azure line running through Quantum Space. "As I'm sure you are aware this is an illustration of the timeline for our dimensional existence as theorized by the late Professor Trent Mansfield. However, we have a problem in the model." Alex said as his hand moved, the image shifting in response, zooming in on a small section where a second crimson line appeared, overlapping the azure line for a short distance before diverging to the left of the main timeline. "We have discovered a quantum event of temporal significance; an enormous influx of quantum energy from another dimensional plane that has intersected our own. Rather than altering the existing timeline as Doctor Mansfield had originally proposed however, it has formed a separate continuity, a parallel universe where, after nineteen sixty-four on March twenty-sixth, events unfold in a manner that is radically different from our own history. You have a question Doctor Stanton?" Alex asked acknowledging the green glow that illuminated the surface of the man's table section.

"I am curious about the overlap shown here between the two universes." He replied.

"The overlap is representative of a period in which the quantum anomaly was dormant, a period of nearly two years before it was discovered. Until that time the quantum energy was unused."

A table section lit green.

"Doctor Landon," Alex responded.

"I understand that we have a Time Force operative already present in this universe?"

"Yes, possibly several of our technicians as well," Alex replied. "When this anomaly was first discovered, we launched the Time Shadow through the gate, sending Trip Renhis, along with several technical personnel, and Circuit, an AI, into the past."

"Right," the Doctor replied trying to get to his point. "I was curious how these individuals ended up in this alternate universe rather than in our past?"

"While we can't be certain," Alex began as the display shifted to show a shift in the Time Shadow's movement through the quantum universe. "We believe that the quantum tunnel, created when the Time Shadow entered the gate, intersected the parallel universe, which at the time was unmapped, creating a dimensional shift, as was theorized by the late Doctor Aaralyn Kalin. However, because the shift occurred we can not access data from the Time Shadow's main frame to support this."

Another green glow emanated from another part of the table.

"Commander Fitzue," Alex acknowledged.

"You said a minute ago this quantum energy was dormant until it was discovered, by whom was it discovered?" he asked.

"We don't know," Alex replied; a growing number of comments began circulating in the room. "Since our first transmission six years ago we have been unable to reestablish contact with the parallel universe." He said drowning out the conversation. "Most of what we do know is from sensor data and quantum telemetry we acquired during the point of contact."

Another question.

"Yes, Doctor Kincaid?"

"So you know where this parallel universe is located in Quantum Space?" she asked.

"Yes Doctor," Alex replied. "And we have been able to establish a temporal anchor point within this universe, but therein lies the problem."

The image shifted up the line, showing a point where the crimson line began to fade until in vanished entirely. A low rumble spread around the room as several table sections lit up. Alex raised his hands getting silence from the room.

"On June twenty-second in the year thirty sixteen the parallel universe will no longer have enough Quantum Potential to sustain itself and the universe will collapse."

The green glow from various table sections extinguished leaving a single point lit.

"Mr. Kendall?" Alex asked.

"So we have only a limited amount of time to rescue Trip?" Lucas asked.

"I'm afraid it is more serious than that." Alex replied as the image shifted again. "Given our studies of other Quantum Events and other dimensions within Quantum Space at the point it collapses, in a little more than eight years, it is ninety-eight percent likely that its destruction will result in temporary Quantum Instability, a sort of Quantum Black Hole, consuming our universe in the process."

The room fell silent as the faces of many in the room turned white. After a moment a single table section glowed green.

"Doctor Causden?"

"What are we going to do about it?" He asked.

"That is what we are here to discuss," Alex replied as he raised his hand, the image on the display shifting.

Josh was sitting on the couch watching the news. Kimberly was curled up beside him, her fingers laced around his left hand as she rested her head against his shoulder. The fog that had blanketed the sky early that morning had long since burned away, streaking the floor with warm sunlight. Hailey was lying on the floor at Josh's feet basking in the sun as her tail swept back and forth across the hardwood floor.

"This week has seen more difficulties for the Mirinoi colony and Terra Venture Project as several cargo ships were attacked and destroyed." The anchor woman began. "The ships were apparently carrying medical supplies and machinery for the construction of Earth's first off world colony. Director of the Terra Venture Project, James Lindower had this to say at a press conference held yesterday,"

The image switched over to a middle-aged man in a black suit standing behind a podium in a large room. Behind him was the seal of the Terra Venture Project, the golden wire globe over which an image of the mobile space colony was placed, wreathed at the bottom by olive branches.

"Every effort is being made to stop these raids and establish safe shipping lanes to Mirinoi. After talking over the matter with Commander Renier we have contacted the Karovans and have asked them for aid in escorting future shipments while we work on a more permanent solution."

"And what would that be?" A man asked out in the audience.

"We, along with many world leaders, are currently in negotiations with representatives from Space Patrol Delta to establish a base here on Earth that would allow a greater degree of protection. If successful we would have access to the resources needed to safe guard our shipping lanes." Director Lindower replied.

"I was under the impression we were already allied with SPD?" A woman asked.

"While we have cooperated with them, providing research personnel in the past, we have not, at this time, entered into a formal alliance with SPD."

"And why is that?" another man asked.

"I have no comment on that at this time," the Director replied. "I have time for one more question."

"Do we have another plan if things with SPD do not work out?" another man asked.

"We are currently exploring other options." The Director replied. "Former Directors of the Lightspeed Rescue Project are reorganizing the group into the Lightspeed Defense Force. We are confident that if things can not be resolved with SPD that the LSDF will be a viable option for protecting our transports. Currently their scientists are working diligently to refit existing equipment for use in space. Now, if you'll excuse me I have pressing matters to attend to, thank you for your time," the Director replied walking off the stage.

The image shifted back to the news room.

"As an update to our report we have confirmation that Andros along with his team of Space Rangers will be dispatched with their space gliders to guard the relief transports that are being prepared to supply some of the more crucial items lost in the attack. However, the Karovans have stated that the first ship of their new defense fleet will not be completed until later this year, Charlie?" the anchor woman replied turning to her co-anchor.

"Thanks Renae." Charlie began. "In news hitting closer to home it has been almost one year since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center which destroyed both towers. Plans are under way for the memorial service next month…"

Josh turned off the television.

"It's hard to imagine we could be expanding onto other worlds and still have so many problems here." Kimberly said.

"I think everyone has lost focus on the world's problems," Josh replied. "Ever since the invasion by Astronema in Angel Grove a few years back people have been more interested in space exploration and planetary defense than what's going on here."

"Not everyone," Kimberly replied.

"I know, but it seems like the majority have gone that way. And no one seems to care that we didn't get there on our own, that this is all happening because we took shortcuts. They built Terra Venture from the remains of Astronema's space base, and even borrowed technical expertise from K-O-Thirty-Five in exchange for supplies."

"Some people just want things quick and easy."

"But it never lasts," Josh replied. "When you build on a foundation without understanding it you might get results in the short run, but someday that lack of knowledge is going to come back and destroy everything you've built. It's like those guys over in Silver Hills last year, they developed some new power source with technology from the future and nearly wiped out the whole world." Josh sighed. "Of course we've needed the help just to survive, if it weren't for the various Power Rangers that have protected Earth other the years the world would have ended before we ever met."

"Yeah," Kimberly said kissing his cheek. "So quit complaining." she teased.

"I'm sorry," he said turning toward her and touching his forehead to hers. "I didn't mean to get caught up in this, it's not my fight."

"No it's not," Kimberly said in playful voice as she quickly kissed his lips.

Suddenly the phone rang. Kimberly got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen.

"You expecting a call?" Josh asked looking over the couch.

"No," she replied with a smile. "Just hoping to find out what you've got planned for the twenty-forth."

"Well, good luck with that," Josh said getting up from the couch.

Hailey immediately stirred and followed after him as Kimberly picked up the phone.

"Hello, Raine residence," she said with a grin.

"Kim?" the woman on the other end asked.

"Trini?" Kimberly replied in delighted shocked. "How are you? I haven't seen you since our wedding."

"Tell Trini I said hi," Josh said wandering out into the backyard, the dog sliding through the door after him.

"Josh says hi," Kimberly said cutting off Trini as she began to speak.

"Tell him I said hi too," Trini replied with a laugh. "To answer your question, I've been good, things at the UN have been a little hectic lately."

"Oh, I know," Kimberly replied. "We just saw something about the whole SPD thing on the news."

"It's a little more tense than they make it out to be," Trini replied.

"Always is," Kimberly agreed. "So how do you like working there?"

"It's great," she replied. "I'm really getting a lot of experience out of it; maybe someday I'll actually be the representative to the UN."

"So you think you're going to continue working in politics?"

"I think so," she replied. "I really enjoy it, and next to being a Ranger it's the most satisfying work I've done. So how are you doing?"

"Great," she replied. "Six more days until our first anniversary, I have no idea what he has planned, but he's up to something."

"Have you told him about your past as a Ranger yet?" Trini asked.

"Not, quiet yet…" Kimberly replied.

Kimberly knew that she would have to discuss it someday, but it was a tricky subject to bring up. She wasn't sure how she expected Josh to react to it, but she felt a little guilty revealing it, even to him. Zordon had made them promise that their identities would remain a secret, and with Zordon's sacrifice to stop Dark Specter's assault several years ago she didn't want to betray that promise; to her it had become a way of honoring his memory. He had been more of a father to her than her own father and she had taken the news hard when she heard it. His death had been made even more difficult by the fact that she couldn't talk to Josh about it. It had been a strain on their relationship, but fortunately Josh had remained as understanding as ever and they had managed to work through it.

"He's going to find out someday," Trini replied interrupting her thoughts.

"I know," Kimberly replied. "I just want to keep the promise I made to Zordon."

"I know," Trini said, her voice suddenly becoming sympathetic. "But I don't think Zordon would have wanted this to cause you to hold something back from your husband."

"You're right," Kimberly sighed. "After all I heard Billy told his parents everything before he went to that aqua planet."

Trini laughed a little.

"I guess I still feel a little guilty, like, maybe, I could have done something if I hadn't left," she said. "Maybe things would have worked out differently."

"You know he would never have wanted you to stay even if he knew this would have happened." Trini said. "He was always more interested in our personal growth than anything, he would have never wanted you to miss out on the opportunities you've had. He was proud of you, proud of all of us."

"I know," Kimberly said, her eyes glistening a little. "But I still miss him; I can't believe he's gone."

"I miss him too," Trini replied.

There was a moment of silence between them as Kimberly composed herself.

"I sorry," she said. "I got so caught up I didn't even ask what you called about."

"It's okay," Trini replied. "I actually called to wish you a happy anniversary, we're going to be really busy for a while here and I wasn't sure I'd have time next week."

"Thanks Trini," she replied.

"Oh, looks like I need to get going Kim, I'll call you again when things calm down and we can catch up. Have a great anniversary!"

"Okay, bye Trini,"

"Bye,"

Kimberly hung up the phone and walked back over to the couch and sunk down into the soft cushions. Trini was right; she was going to have to tell Josh, Zordon would have wanted her too. Her dilemma now was how to tell him. It wasn't a simple matter to just tell him she had been a Power Ranger, or was it? Was she complicating it too much? Josh would understand after all, it would be a little shocking, but would it really surprise him that much?

"Okay, calm down Kim, you're thinking too much here," she said as she leaned her head back looking toward the ceiling with a sigh.

She should just tell him, the direct approach was probably her best bet. He had always been understanding, always. Her eyes closed as her mind began to drift back.

Kimberly wandered out into the living room of her apartment, her eyes still partly closed as she meandered through the room into the kitchen, oblivious to the flashing red light on her answering machine. The past few days had been incredibly stressful. After months of random attacks in Angel Grove as a new team of Rangers had battled against an alien threat, Astronema, a minion of Dark Specter had launched an all out attack on the planet the day after Thanksgiving. The magnitude of the attack had caught most of the world completely off guard and in less than a day the militaries of almost every nation had been devastated and huge sections of many of the major cities had been left in ruins.

Having spent Thanksgiving with Josh and his parents she had been forced to take refuge with them in the basement where they had supplies and a reinforced bunker to deal with hurricanes during the attacks. While she was glad to have Josh close during the crisis, the time spent in the shelter, short as it was, had been hard. Even when the danger had passed she had been unable to return home for several days until law enforcement had made a sweep of the city, and even then Josh had gone with her just in case. Luckily, Orlando hadn't been hit as hard as other cities and she was glad to see her apartment was undamaged. Things were still settling down, but at least her life could get back to a semi-normal state.

In retrospect the only good things had been that with the suddenness of the attacks and the scale at which they were waged had meant that most of Earth's military equipment had been destroyed before the armies of the world could mobilize leaving many more survivors than would have been the case otherwise, still the death toll was in the millions worldwide.

Fortunately, the Power Rangers had managed to end the conflict the following day, somehow employing a weapon that had annihilated the enemy on a global scale. Though things remained hectic for several days after in which communications were being restored and telephone systems were overloaded with calls of people trying to get in touch with family.

Angel Grove had received the worst of the attack and Kimberly had thought it was strange that so much chaos should fall on a single city. It seemed ever since she and her friends were assembled by Zordon to fight Rita, Angel Grove had faced one threat after another.

Kimberly sleepily pulled the coffee pot from the coffee maker and poured the dark liquid into a mug, the thick aroma rising and filling her senses with a warm, rich, sensation. Returning the coffee pot to its place she stumbled back into the living room and sat down on the couch placing her mug on the table. She picked up the remote and turned on the television.

The glossy black surface of the television vanished in a wash of color as the sound quickly came up to volume. The picture was still grainy and randomly distorted as the remaining satellites were burdened by all the data now being routed through them. Kimberly picked up her coffee and wrapped her hands around it as she curled up on the couch.

"…And relief efforts continue here in Angel Grove as any available aide continues to pour in from other nations to help with the clean up effort." The man said. "Back to you in the studios,"

"Thanks Phil," the newscaster replied as he organized some papers in front of him before looking aside to his co-anchor. "And of course Angel Grove, the hardest hit in this latest disaster."

"This attack was probably the worst in the city's long history of threats from extraterrestrial beings." the co-anchor replied as she checked the card for her next story. "In a related story it seems that some information has been released concerning the abrupt end to the attack a little over one week ago. Government officials have stated that it was the sacrifice of an alien being known only as Zordon that ended the attack Saturday afternoon."

Kimberly suddenly sprang from the couch, her mug falling from her hands onto the floor as coffee splattered across the carpet staining it a deep brown.

"No," escaped her mouth in a whisper as she grabbed the remote and turned the volume up.

"In his death a powerful burst of energy was released eliminating the enemy forces. In related news, it has now been publicized that it was this same individual who assembled the original Power Rangers that repelled Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd years ago. It is unknown if the six individuals who were sighted in Angel Grove during the final battle with Astronema's forces are the same Power Rangers who have defended Earth for the later part of this decade. But, our heartfelt thanks and appreciation go to these heroes as well as Zordon and those of his race for his heroic sacrifice to save our world…"

Kimberly hit the power button, the screen collapsing into a single point of light before fading as she sunk onto the couch, tears streaking down her cheeks. Her stomach tightened as her sobs became more pronounced before she fell onto her side curling her body into a ball as she buried her head in a cushion and cried.

After nearly half an hour Kimberly slowly pulled herself from the couch, wiping away the remaining dampness from her bloodshot eyes as she walked toward the phone, noticing the red light flashing for the first time, its glow blurred by her watery eyes. Slumping over the counter she pressed the play button as she watched a single tear fall from her eye and splash on the countertop.

"Kim," It was Jason's voice, he was speaking softly. "I don't know if you heard what happened yet or not, but we," there was a pause. "We lost someone very important to us all." There was another pause as Jason sighed; Kimberly closed her eyes as new tears streaked down her face. "Look, I talked to some of the guys, and we were going to have a memorial next week. Give me a call when you get this, bye Kim," The machine beeped and relayed the time the message had been received early that morning.

Several days later Kimberly found herself packing for her trip. The plan was to fly in to Sacramento Airport in California and meet with the Space Rangers, and from there head to the site of the old Command Center. A lot had happened since she had left, she hadn't even heard that the Command Center had been destroyed or that Zordon had left Earth to return to Eltar not long after she had last seen him. Apparently the current team of Rangers had been created after Zordon had departed and so nearly none of them had known Zordon. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Kimberly?" she heard his voice as the door opened.

"I'm back here," she replied, wishing she could have left town without having this discussion. "I'm just finishing up packing."

Josh had been very sweet during this time, but that had also been the problem. Spending time with him she had already said too much. She had told him that someone she was very close to had died in the Angel Grove attack, a mentor and friend, someone who had been like a father to her. The issue had come when Josh had offered to go with her. Growing up in a culture where Shinto had been the primary religion, he saw paying honor to the dead as an important matter and wanted to honor this friend who had been so important to her. At first she had simply excused him, mistakenly thinking he was offering to go if she wanted him there, but she quickly realized with all Zordon had contributed to her life Josh wanted to go to honor him personally. That was where things had gotten awkward. Their phone call last night had ended poorly, Kimberly knew it was partly her fault, she didn't know what to say to him without lying and she couldn't bring herself to do that, which only made her more frustrated with the situation.

"Are you okay?" Josh asked coming down the hall toward her room. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, I'm just going to a funeral with some old friends," Kimberly replied trying to avoid the real issue.

"I know that," Josh replied masking his annoyance. "I just don't understand why you don't want me to go with you."

"It's complicated," Kimberly said with a sigh looking down at her suitcase.

"I don't like that you can't trust me with this," Josh said, his tone betraying the pain he was feeling. "I get that you don't want to talk about it, I just don't understand why you don't want to talk about it."

"It's not that I don't trust you," Kimberly said meeting his stare. "It's just…"

"Complicated," Josh replied finishing her sentence, he sighed as there was a moment of silence between them. "Does this have anything to do with that trip out to Angel Grove about two years back?"

"Please, don't press me on this," Kimberly replied, her voice shaking a little. "I don't want to lie to you, but I can't explain what's going on."

"I just don't get it," Josh said with a sigh. "If this man was so important why all the secrecy?"

"Call it what you want," Kimberly said tears starting to form as her voice strained. "We all had a special bond, and I made a promise to never talk about certain things outside of this group. You talk about honor and discipline all the time, well what about me? Should I betray things I was entrusted with simply because you want to know?!"

Josh stepped back for a moment as Kimberly finished her venting. He lowered his head as he contemplated her words.

"I'm sorry," she said suddenly apologetic as she reached a hand out placing it on his arm. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"No," Josh replied reaching over and taking her hand. "I'm sorry, you're right, I might not understand, but I can't ask you to betray the trust of someone else, I hope someday you'll be able to tell me," his head rose and their eyes met. Kimberly could see that this concession hurt him deeply, but he was willing to make it for her. "But if not, I guess it's something I'm going to have to learn to live with."

"Thank you," Kimberly mouthed; her words barely audible.

Josh leaned forward and kissed her lips, the two of them stepping into an embrace as Kimberly rested her head against his chest.

"Do you know when you'll be back?" Josh asked, his tone a hushed whisper.

"In a couple days," Kimberly replied.

"I hope everything goes well, call me when you get back, okay?" Josh said as the two parted.

"I will," Kimberly replied as she let go of Josh's hand.

Josh forced a smile and turned toward the door leaving the room.

"Josh?" Kimberly said suddenly.

"Yeah?" Josh replied turning to face her.

"Thank you for understanding, and for being there for me this last week, I'd still be a wreak if it weren't for you." She said with a smile.

"Anytime," Josh replied as he turned to leave.

Kimberly sank onto the bed as she listened to his footsteps proceeding toward the front door before she heard the door open and then close again. She folded her hands in her lap and looked down at the floor for a moment, what should she do? This was so complicated.

"So how's Trini doing?" Josh asked coming back into the house disrupting Kimberly's thoughts.

"Fine," she replied quickly. "Busy, but fine. She said to say 'hi' and called to wish us a happy anniversary."

Josh smiled. "So is she enjoying her work at the UN?"

"Yeah," Kimberly replied. "She said she might stay in politics permanently." Kimberly paused for a moment. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"What's that?" Josh asked washing his hands in the sink.

"I think you might want to sit down for this."

Josh dried his hands, a look of concern crossing his face. "What's going on?" he asked quickly coming into the living room and sitting down on the couch next to her.

"Do you remember, I guess it was four years ago, when my old mentor died and I flew out to California for a few days?"

"Yes," Josh replied, his look changing to a quizzical expression. "What's this all about?"

"It's about what I couldn't tell you then." Kimberly paused, Josh was focused on her. "My mentor, his name was Zordon and I was one of the original Power Rangers."

Josh sat there for a moment in stunned silence, his eyes shifting back and forth as if piecing this new information into some elaborate jigsaw puzzle.

Kimberly decided to give him a little more information. "When I was selected to protect the Earth Zordon told us there were three conditions, we could never use our powers for personal gain, we could never escalate a battle, and lastly we were not allowed to let anyone know we were Power Rangers. Even when I stopped being a Ranger, I guess I felt like I shouldn't reveal that to anyone, and then after Zordon died, I just felt too guilty to tell you, I didn't want to betray his memory."

Josh continued to look at her; she couldn't tell what was going through his mind.

"Say something," she pleaded feeling a little awkward.

"So which Ranger were you?"

"The pink one," she replied with a smile.

"So I married the Pink Ranger?" Josh asked.

"Yeah, you did," Kimberly replied with a nod.

"Wow," Josh replied leaning back against the couch, his head rolling back onto the cushion as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Are you upset that I didn't tell you earlier?" she asked.

"No," Josh replied. "It's just a lot to take in. I'm glad you finally told me though, it's just… I never expected it to be something this huge."

"I'm glad I can finally talk to you about this too," Kimberly said pressing up against him and wrapping an arm around his chest. Josh slid an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in tight against his body.

"I'm going to need a minute," Josh replied pulling his head up and looking down into her eyes. "And then I'm going to have a lot of questions."

Alex headed across the large hanger in his black, command uniform. A Morpher was strapped to his wrist. Behind him Jen, Lucas, and Katie followed closely in their Time Force Uniforms, quickly shackling their Morphers to their wrists.

Before them was a dark form looming in the hanger, a large aircraft bearing a small resemblance to the former Time Shadow. Lights from the deck illuminated a section of the hull that read "TF-M0216-C-MK2" in small block letters below which, in large, silver, industrial letters, was written "Time Shadow Mark II". The ship was an advanced prototype, combining several experimental technologies into its streamlined frame. While it retained its basic shape as a flying wing, the lower pylons had been raised into the body of the ship giving it a thinner profile from the front and sides while the overall length from wing tip to wing tip had been increased. Thick rounded engines projected from the back of the ship, the cooling vents pulsating with an eerie purple light. In the center of the craft was a large elliptical protrusion that seemed to run through the whole of the ship from top to bottom just behind the bridge. The entire vessel was painted a subtle mix of black and midnight blue, further adding to the craft's ominous appearance.

"This is the next generation of Time Force Time Ships, the Time Shadow Mark Two, codenamed the 'Chronos Black'." Alex announced, his voice betraying no small amount of pride in the project.

"How long have you been working on this?" Lucas asked starring at the vessel, his mouth slightly agape.

"It was part of the Chrono Storm project originally," Alex replied. "But after several set backs its development was dropped in favor of a more practical solution."

"So we're taking it?" Katie asked.

"It stealth capabilities will be an asset and it is also equipped with an experimental quantum drive allowing the Chronos Black to generate its own quantum tunnel."

"You're saying this ship can travel through time on its own?" Jen asked.

"Correct," Alex replied as the group began moving around the side of the ship toward the concealed loading ramp.

"Then why was it dropped from the Chrono Storm project?" Lucas asked.

"Because of the mass restrictions," Alex replied.

As the group turned the corner of the ship several heavily armored soldiers abruptly came to attention shouldering their large rifles. Their armor consisted of heavy black plate over a royal blue flex-suit underneath. The Time Force emblem was printed on the forehead and left breast in a dull gold. A faint green light played back and forth behind the gloss black visors.

Alex walked down their ranks looking each man over as Jen, Katie, and Lucas stood back a little bewildered. As Alex finished his inspection he nodded his approval to the first soldier in line, a solitary, thin, red stripe running halfway down the left side of his helmet.

"Alright men," the soldier began. "Stow your gear and prepare for departure."

"Sir, yes sir!" the men shouted in unison as the ten man squad turned and filed up the ramp.

"Don't you think Enforcers are a little excessive?" Jen said in a half whisper as the last man disappeared into the ship's interior.

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear," Alex said turning toward Jen, his eyes seeming to burn with intensity. "If we do not succeed, if we fail at a single point, it is all over, there are no second chances, our universe will be destroyed and countless lives will be lost. This is not a typical mission where failure could mean an altered future for some people on Earth; this is for the entire universe and all races sentient or otherwise. I would bring the entire Enforcers Corps if we had time to recall those out on assignment."

With those words Alex turned away and began moving up the ramp. Lucas and Katie moved toward Jen, who was half frozen in shock. Alex had become sterner with her, even a little condescending at times, since she had called off their engagement years back, but to be talked down to as if she did not understand the severity of the situation.

"Let's go," Katie whispered in her ear, interrupting her thoughts as she and Lucas helped drive her forward.

"Hurry and get on board," Alex called back. "For once time is not on our side."

Josh and Kimberly were nestled up together on the couch. Josh was lying down, resting his head on a cushion against the arm. Kimberly was laying on him, her legs stretched out over his; her head leaned back on his chest as she stared up at the ceiling, his right arm wrapped around her waist as he tenderly ran his fingers through her hair with his left. Kimberly's hands were folded over his right hand at her side, her right hand interlaced with his.

The sun was hanging over the ocean, beaming in through the kitchen windows and bathing the house in a warm orange glow. Hailey lay at the base of the couch curled up sleeping. Occasionally her tail would twitch sweeping over the hardwood floor casting a light, dancing swirl of dust up into the inviting sunlight that streaked over the back of the couch.

"So what else do you want to know?" Kimberly asked, her voice soft, barely more than a whisper.

"What do you miss the most?" he asked his tone matching hers.

"The closeness with all my friends," she replied. "Being a Ranger was like being part of a family. I guess it's a little like your friends from your dojo back home."

"Except we didn't save the world from the forces of evil every other week," Josh replied kissing the top of her head. "Bigger question, why did you leave if you enjoyed it so much?"

"It wasn't easy," she admitted. "Originally I was going to pass on the opportunity to go to the Pan Global Games, I tried playing it off as wanting to be responsible, but really, I just didn't want to give up being a Ranger, but Zordon and my friends talked me into it. Zordon had hoped I would rejoin the team one day, but that never happened."

"I thought you said you helped with that incident a few years back with that family of furry aliens, what was the guy's name, Larry-go?"

"Lerigot," Kimberly corrected. "And I don't think being captured by Divatox and being used as a wedding present counts as helping." She said with a smile.

"You kept him and his family safe so the Rangers could take care of Divatox and that monster thing."

"Yeah," she said. "It wasn't the same as when I was a Ranger though,"

"Maybe not," Josh replied. "But helping them out, without powers, was even more heroic than if you had powers."

"You think?' she replied turning her head to look up at him.

"Yeah," Josh replied tilting his head down and kissing her lips. "You'll always be my favorite Ranger,"

"Thanks," she said with a sigh and a smile turning her gaze back up toward the ceiling.

"You ever regret your decision to leave?"

"Nope," she replied.

"Really? And why's that?" he asked a little surprised by her quick answer.

"Because if I hadn't I would have never met you," she replied squeezing his hand. There was a moment of silence between them. "You can ask the question that's really on your mind," she said at last, breaking the silence. "I don't mind,"

Josh smiled, she knew him too well. "I just didn't want to press it," he replied.

"You've been dancing around it all afternoon; it's fine though, really,"

"Okay," Josh replied. "What was Zordon like?"

"I don't know what you remember from a few years back when I was telling you about him, but he was more than just a mentor, he was like a father to me. He was always calm under pressure, even when the world was on the verge of destruction," she laughed. "Even when he wasn't sure what to do about the problem he remained calm. He was the rock that the rest of us could depend on in the storm. We needed that; I don't think any of us realized how much we relied on him until the battle with the Green Ranger. When the Green Ranger first showed up and we lost Zordon we almost gave up."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah," Kimberly replied. "Green Ranger had gotten into the Command Center and destroyed a good portion of the controls, had broken our connection to Zordon, given Alpha a virus and, with help, managed to take away our Zords; of course, at the time, we thought they were actually destroyed. We were ready to quit and, we didn't think we had a chance, if Jason hadn't stepped up who knows what would have happened. But you've already heard about that."

"Yeah," Josh replied. "It amazes me that the Green Ranger only scrambled the signal from Zordon and disabled Alpha, it's almost like he didn't want you to be defeated."

"I don't think Rita had a really good hold on him at the time," Kimberly replied. "He did all this before she bound him using some sword; I forget what it was called now."

"Still," Josh replied. "If he had eliminated Zordon and Alpha instead, Rita might have actually won."

Kimberly shivered as a chill went down her spine. "Maybe," she replied. "But fortunately, it didn't happen that way."

"Sorry," Josh replied. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay," she replied.

"So what else can you tell me about Zordon?"

"He was always encouraging, even when we made a mistake; he didn't come down on us for it. It was amazing the way he knew how to play to our strengths when we were beating ourselves up over a problem. He always nurtured our gifts and encouraged us in whatever we did. You could tell he really cared about us."

"He sounds like a great person,"

"He was," Kimberly replied. "And in the end he made the ultimate sacrifice, he gave up his life to save everyone he loved and everything he cared about." Kimberly's voice had just a tinge of sadness to it.

Josh tightened his embrace for a moment as the two sat there quietly, the faint sound of the tide drifting in through the open windows. Suddenly Hailey stirred from her sleep, her ears perking up for a moment.

"Something wrong girl?" Josh asked.

Kimberly glanced down as Hailey rose to her feet, her ears still raised as she looked around. For a moment it was almost as if all sound had ceased. Then phone suddenly began to ring causing Josh and Kimberly to jump a little. As the phone rang again the two of them began to laugh; neither one noticing Hailey wander into the kitchen and exit through the dog door. Josh tried to sit up but Kimberly pinned him down, quickly turning around and straddling his stomach.

"Where do you think you're going?" she teased.

"To get the phone," Josh replied smiling up at her as it rang again.

"I don't think so," she replied with a playful smile as she began tickling his ribs.

Josh began to rock back and forth as he tried to push Kimberly's hands away, but she was determined to keep him where he was. In a desperate attempt to stop her Josh reached out and began tickling her sides.

"No!" she squealed through her laughter as she slumped against the back of the couch struggling to keep Josh pinned.

The phone rang for a forth time as the answering machine picked up.

"Shhh, stop," Josh said finally getting hold of Kimberly's wrists.

"You're still not getting up." She said with a mischievous smile.

The machine beeped and someone began to speak, "Hey Josh, it's Alex, how is Monterey treating you? I was hoping you were home, I wanted to talk to you about something,"

"I need to get this," Josh pleaded.

"Okay," Kimberly replied with a mock pout. "But this isn't over,"

Kimberly scooted back as Josh sat up giving her a quick kiss before walking over to the phone and picking it up.

"Alex?"

"Josh, how's it going?"

"Good," Josh replied, a little out of breath. He looked back toward Kimberly who was kneeling on the couch, her arms resting on the back as she eagerly waited for Josh to finish the conversation.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Alex replied.

"We're newly weds," Josh replied. "Everyone is always interrupting."

"We forgive you though," Kimberly shouted.

"Tell Kim I said 'hi' and I'm sorry," Alex replied with a chuckle.

"He says hi and he's sorry," Josh said as an aside to Kimberly. "So what's going on?" Josh asked.

"Well you remember Kayla?" Alex asked.

"Your girlfriend," Josh replied.

"Nope," Alex replied. "As of last night she's now my fiancé."

"Alex that's great!" Josh replied ecstatically. "Alex proposed," Josh whispered to Kimberly.

"Wooo! Congratulations Alex!" Kimberly shouted.

"So when's the wedding?" Josh asked.

"We're still debating between December and January," Alex replied. "But I wanted to ask you to be my best man."

"Of course," Josh replied. "I'd be honored."

"Great, I also wanted to let you know that we're getting together with Mom and Dad over Labor Day weekend next month and Kayla and I were hoping you and Kim could join us."

"I'll have to talk with her about it, but that sounds doable," Josh replied. "So how is life in the real world treating you?"

"Things are going okay," Alex replied. "It's hard to break into marketing, no one really cares if you have a degree unless you have experience, but if you have experience then they want a degree to go with it. I've done some charity work for a few ad campaigns just to build up my portfolio, but its tough going some months. Fortunately Kayla has a pretty steady income, so we should be alright."

"What's she do again?" Josh asked.

"She's a registered nurse."

"Well there's always a big demand for people to patch you up," Josh said half joking.

"Well business slowed down after you quit the UFC," Alex retorted. "But somehow people keeping getting injured anyway."

"That reminds me," Josh replied. "While it's still being debated, I'm thinking of opening a training center here, not so much for the income, but for something to occupy the day."

"You two getting bored hanging out all the time?"

"No," Josh replied rolling his eyes. "Far from it, but it would help me stay up on my practice and would allow us to provide something for the community in the way of free classes for the underprivileged or maybe something more like a Rec Center, we're still just toying with it, but if we went forward with this you could always do our advertising campaign."

"I don't know," Alex replied. "I've always been told not to work with family."

The door bell suddenly rang. Josh and Kimberly exchanged a puzzled glance before Kimberly hopped up and walked toward the front of the house.

"Well it's something for you to think about." Josh replied. "We might not even do it."

"I'll keep that in mind," Alex replied, Josh could tell he was getting ready to end the conversation. "Well I should let you two get back to whatever I interrupted, you do remember your anniversary is next week right?"

"Of course I remember," he glanced around before lowering his voice. "I've been working on Kimberly's gift for the last couple weeks whenever I have a free moment."

"What did you make her?"

"It's a pink marble box with a butterfly and flowers etched into the lid. I also got her a necklace with a small golden rose with her birthstone set in the center."

"Nice, so you have plans too?" Alex asked, apparently with renewed interest in the conversation.

"Sorry, she's been trying to get that out of me for the last two weeks, I'm not telling anyone about that."

"Well you'll have to let me know how it goes," Alex replied.

"I will," Josh said.

"Josh," Kimberly called from the other side of the house, her voice was a little shaky. "Can you come here please?"

"I gotta go Alex, we'll probably see you next month, and again congratulations,"

"Thanks, see ya."

Josh put down the phone and began walking through the kitchen into the dinning room and down the hall that led to the front room before turning right into the entry way. As the doorway came into view he could see a man in a black uniform standing in the entry way, his hair was combed back and a pair of dark glasses covered his eyes. His shoulder and chest had golden badges on them, though Josh did not recognize the agency as any he was familiar with. Gold marks, apparently indicating rank, were attached to his high collar.

"Can we help you?" Josh asked respectfully as he stared at his reflection in the man's sunglasses.

"Joshua Christopher Raine?" the man asked.

"Yes,"

"My name is Alex Davis, I'm part of an organization known as Time Force." Josh continued to stare at him. "Perhaps you've heard about the Rangers from the year three thousand that were in Silver Hills last year?"

"I have," Josh replied seemingly unimpressed. Behind the man Josh could see three more individuals in white uniforms, he recalled seeing people similarly dressed on the news during the final incident in Silver Hills.

Alex continued. "Sir, we have a very serious problem, we need you and your wife to come with us."

Josh looked over at Kimberly. "You know any of them?" he asked. Kimberly shook her head in response. "Look we don't know you, and I'm use to strange people showing up at my door claiming all kinds of things, so why don't you just leave before I call the police." Josh replied moving between Alex and Kimberly as he widened his stance. Kimberly took a step back.

"I was really hoping we could do this the easy way," Alex replied hanging his head.

Josh suddenly caught movement near the edges of the door. Something moved distorting the background as if water was hanging in the air. Suddenly two individuals in black armor appeared as if they had been shrouded in a fog that suddenly was burned away. Josh found two large weapons pointed at his chest. His fists clenched as he glared into the Alex's glasses. Kimberly wrapped her arms around Josh's right arm trying to calm him.

"These weapons are designed to pierce heavy armor, but hopefully their little demonstration is enough to convince you we are who we say we are." Alex said; Josh didn't appear convinced. "I apologize that things had to go this way, but we are wasting time we don't have. Now please come with us." Alex replied as the three individuals in white began moving toward the porch.

Copyright J Pearson 2009. Power Rangers and all Characters are property of Disney and Buena Vista Entertainment, all rights reserved.


	2. Chapter 2

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Vergence

-2-

Kimberly's entire body tensed as Josh slowly placed his right hand against her stomach. In a sudden flash of movement Josh pushed Kimberly back, her socks allowing her to glide back on the hardwood floor out of the way as Josh thrust both arms forward in palm strikes, hitting the sides of the large rifles. The augmented strength of the Enforcers' armor prevented both from having their weapons spun toward the street; however Josh's attack shifted both weapons enough to bring them to bear against the opposite Enforcer.

Alex toppled over backward as the barrels slammed into his chest before both Enforcers accidentally discharged their weapons. Both barrels lit a brilliant azure as electrified balls of energy burst from the barrels striking the opposite Enforcer. Both soldiers frozen in place as energy coursed over their dark armor.  
Jen, Lucas, and Katie halted in their advance as Josh dove under the weapons of the immobilized Enforcers and rolled on top of Alex's prone body placing a knee across his throat as he pinned his right arm down with his other leg and held down his left with his own left hand.

"Any of you comes any closer and I break his neck." Josh replied as his mind raced trying to find an escape route.

"We don't want to hurt you." Jen replied raising her hands. "We need your help."

"You have a funny way of asking for it," Josh replied. "I don't trust you."

Josh noticed Lucas' mouth was moving, but he couldn't hear what he was saying. With a quick change in position he rolled to his side and pulled Alex's body in front of him, causing his dark glasses to fall onto the ground as the two fell off the porch. Dragging Alex to his feet he pulled him back, concealing himself between Alex and the front of the house; his left arm locked firmly around Alex's neck.

"Kim, you alright?" Josh shouted over his shoulder.

"Yeah," came a quick reply from inside the house. "The police are coming,"

In a tree across the street, unseen by anyone else, another Enforcer shed his stealth field. He was hovering motionlessly within the tree sighting through a large targeting system mounted on the side of a slightly modified version of the standard Enforcer rifle. Though leaves obscured his view, the targeting equipment had a clear image of the target.

"This is unit four; I can see the target, but do not have a solution, Alex's head is in the way." The Enforcer relayed.

"When you have a solution you have permission to fire," the Commander replied. "Units six, seven, and eight enter through the back entrance secure target two, quietly. Unit two, time until arrival of local law enforcement?"

"Five minutes,"

Through his slight daze Alex was listening to the chatter on the com through his earpiece, a small, flat, flesh toned disk, no larger than a pencil eraser adhered to the inside of his ear. Alex struggled a little trying to provide a solution, but Josh had him held firmly in place. On the verge of blacking out from the lack of blood to his brain Alex jerked his head forward with all the force he could muster and quickly thrust it back toward Josh's face. Josh tilted his head to the right allowing Alex's head to glance against the side of his face. From the upper corner of his vision Josh caught a flash of blue in the trees. Before he could react he felt every muscle in his body tense at once, locking him into a state of immobility.

Even though he was frozen he could still see, though his eyes refused to move or even focus at any other distance other than the three individuals in white. In a blurred patch he could see that Alex was unaffected by whatever had immobilized him. Slowly Alex began to pry Josh's arm from around his neck, the muscles shifting with great effort as Alex slid out from his grip and stepped away retrieving his dark glasses from the ground.

Two more Enforcers emerged from the house carrying Kimberly who was frozen in a standing position, from her expression it was apparent she hadn't noticed the Enforcers until after she had been immobilize.

"Let's move," Alex replied. "Company is coming."

Three more Enforcers appeared in the yard holstering their rifles on some form of harness that folded out to the right from their backpacks; the holsters retracted holding the weapons behind their right shoulders. The Enforcers rushed forward taking hold of their frozen members as the third took hold of Josh. The group of Enforcers began moving toward the center of the street; Alex followed, walking passed the three Time Force Rangers.

"And you thought Enforcers were overkill," he said with some disdain.

"You didn't have to lie to him," Lucas said, his eyes narrowed as he glared at Alex. "You could have told him those weapons fired non-lethal rounds."

"That would have only given him more incentive to resist," Alex called back. "Now hurry up before this operation becomes more complex."

Ropes dropped from the sky, descending from an invisible point in the sky as the Enforcers quickly secured their two captives and their immobilized teammates.

"Two minutes," one of the Enforcers said, the sirens were barely audible in the distance to his electronically enhanced hearing.

Alex, Jen, Lucas, and Katie joined the soldiers, quickly securing their own lines.

"Everyone secure?" the Commander asked.

"Go!" The Enforcers responded in unison.

The Commander activated a button on his gauntlet as all the lines began to rapidly retract into the air, whisking everyone up into the sky. Even though he was still unable to move Josh watched the ground disappear from under him as he ascended into the sky. He couldn't see Kimberly and could only assume she was somewhere behind him. As they approached the section of sky in which the ropes disappeared Joshua suddenly found himself staring at the under belly of a large black ship; its form appearing as it had just risen from murky waters. He suspected that it was using the same type of invisibility shield as those armored men had, which meant in all likelihood, they were now concealed along with the ship.

The belly of the vessel quickly disappeared and their ascension began to slow as walls consumed Josh's field of vision. Finally coming to a stop he could feel a floor form under his feet elevating him several inches before everything was still again.

"Take our guests to the passenger compartment, make sure they're secured for our return trip," Alex said. He took a moment before walking over toward Josh's face taking off his glasses and starring him straight in the eyes. "If you resist when we release you I will flood the cabin with gas and render you unconscious before I place you in cryo-containment, which has some very unpleasant side-effects for humans." Alex looked intently into his eyes for a moment as if trying to discern an answer. Finally he turned his back to him and faced Jen, Lucas, and Katie. "Prep the ship for our return trip."

"The Director won't like this use of force," Jen said eyeing Alex coldly.

"I doubt, under the circumstances, that they'll look down on my methods," Alex replied as the Enforcers attached anti-gravity harnesses to Josh and Kimberly and began carrying them away. "The fate of all existence is at stake after all. Of course you're always welcome to file a report."

"I can't believe I use to think like you," Jen said turning away and heading toward the bridge. "You make me sick."

Alex stood by without emotion as Lucas and Katie gave him a strong glare before turning and following after Jen.

"They just don't understand," Alex said under his breath as he turned away watching the Enforcers disappear into the passenger compartment at the far end of the cargo bay.

Josh's heart jumped as the Enforcer put a small device up to his eye. There was a flash of blue light and suddenly Josh felt every muscle in his body relax as he collapsed like a rag doll into the chair, guided down forcefully by the other Enforcer. The two armored soldiers were quick to restrain him as collars sprung from the chair locking his hands, feet, and waist in place before a membrane on the inside of the collars inflated leaving him no room to move.

With Joshua secure the two men moved onto Kimberly repeating the procedure. Josh flinched as he watched Kimberly fall into the chair, his fist clenching in reflex as his body tried to spring up, but the restraint kept him firmly held in place. As the restraints locked around Kimberly's body Josh vented a frustrated breath through his teeth.

At the end of the room the door slid open as the Commander walked in. Both Enforcers immediately stood at attention saluting. The Commander returned their salute.

"At ease," the Commander said, "Are our passengers secure?"

"Yes sir," the two soldiers responded in unison.

"Then get yourselves strapped in,"

"Sir, yes sir." The two Enforcers replied as they moved passed the Commander and exited the compartment.

The Commander stood in front of Josh, his own cold stare reflecting back at him from the Enforcer's mask. Slowly the Commander reached back taking hold of his helmet. There was a brief click before a hiss of depressurization. The Commander pulled his helmet forward removing it from his head.

A flexible hood covered his head with the exception of his face. He was younger than Josh or Kimberly had expected. His face was thin, but the look from his light blue eyes was intensely strong. He studied Josh for a moment.

"I understand where you're coming from," he said, his voice seemed less threatening without the helmet. "While it's not my place to question the way your cooperation was secured,"

Josh laughed.

The Commander continued, ignoring him. "I want to make one thing perfectly clear to you; we are not authorized to use lethal force in any form on you, the higher ups want you both alive and unharmed. So we can do this one of two ways." He said leaning in to Josh's face. "We can either handle you as invited guests, or as prisoners. And if you cause anymore problems for me or my men you will find out how far non-lethal force can go. Do we have an understanding?"

Josh's eyes narrowed as he looked deep into the Commander's icy stare.

"I understand you," Josh said.

The Commander smiled and stood back up and began to turn away.

"But I have something I want you to understand too," Josh said.

"Oh?" The Commander replied turning toward Josh with an amused smile. "And what would that be?"

"You cause even the slightest discomfort to her," Josh nodded his head toward Kimberly. "And you and all your men will regret it."

"That a threat?" The Commander asked looking at him.

"You can take it anyway you want," Josh replied. "But I mean it."

The Commander glanced over at Kimberly for a moment; her look was less resolute, however there was still a fierce fire that burned in her eyes. With a contemplative expression the Commander placed his helmet back on his head and walked out of the compartment.

"So now what?" Kimberly asked with a sigh as the door sealed shut.

"I don't know," Josh replied. "I can't even move in these things. How about you?"

"If my hand were a little smaller I might be able to slide it out, but it's stuck pretty good."

"What do you think the odds are that these guys are who they say they are?"

"If they're really Power Rangers things have changed a lot since I was one." Kimberly replied.

"But what if they work for the Government like Lightspeed?" Josh asked.

"I don't know," Kimberly replied shaking her head. "We're going to have to decide whether or not to trust them though."

"I can tell you right now I don't trust Alex, but those three in white don't seem to like him much either, so they might be okay." Josh replied with a smile.

"What do you think about the Sergeant or whoever that was?"

"I don't think he likes how things have been going," Josh replied. "But it's clear he's worried about what I can do to his men and wants to make sure they're safe."

"Obviously your reputation lives on," Kimberly said with a smile.

"Is this really the time to be joking?" Josh asked smiling a little himself.

"What do I have to worry about? I know you'll protect me." She replied looking over into his eyes.

"With my life," Josh promised.

"Did you feel that?" Josh's voice suddenly came from all around.

"Feel what?" Kimberly asked.

Suddenly the room shifted, the tiny compartment seemed to stretch into infinity as if the opposing walls had suddenly become mirrors. Kimberly could feel her mind expand, her thoughts were racing. Then for a moment everything collapsed back to a single point as the room suddenly became completely still. In a flash everything suddenly returned to normal.

"Did you feel that?" Josh asked.

"You just asked me that." Kimberly replied.

"That wasn't me before," Josh replied.

"It was your voice,"

"Yeah, but I didn't say it, at least not until just now."

"Where do you think we are?" Kimberly asked.

"I'm not sure." Josh replied his eyes wide with excitement. "But I have a feeling we're nowhere near where we were, or, if they really are from Time Force we might not be when we were anymore."

"You think we're traveling through time?"

"I'm not sure, but I've never felt anything like that in my life. Then again it could have been something unrelated to movement or maybe something unrelated to all this in general."

"I guess we'll know when we get to wherever or whenever we're going," Kimberly said sighing.

"I still don't know if I trust these people," Josh replied. "But now that I'm not running on pure adrenalin I think I at least want to get some answers, then if I don't like those answers we can escape."

"Sounds good to me," Kimberly replied smiling at him.

"Temporal Fold complete," Lucas replied. "Eisenzen Bridge stable,"

"ETA?" Alex asked.

"Ten minutes," Katie replied.

Jen unlocked her harness and got up from her seat.

"Where are you going?" Alex asked.

"For a walk." Jen replied moving passed him and off the bridge.

Alex was about to respond when he heard the elevator door lock into the closed position.

"Cargo bay," Jen said as the elevator began to move.

Within a few seconds she felt the tube come to a stop and a door opened behind her. She turned around and began to walk down the cargo bay toward the door at the far end. Two Enforcers were standing guard, one on each side. Each was holding a large pistol at their sides. Jen kept her focus on the door and walked passed them; neither one seemed to even acknowledge her presence.

As the door slid open Jen stepped through, the door closing quickly behind her. Josh and Kimberly both stopped mid-conversation and watched Jen cautiously as she walked toward them. Jen proceeded to a chair facing Kimberly's and slid open a panel on the side and pressed her fingers against the reflective blue plate.

"Chair restraints disabled." A computer voice announced.

Jen turned and sat down in the chair facing Josh and Kimberly.

"You don't maybe want to do that for our chairs?" Josh asked.

"I do," Jen replied. "But my career at Time Force would be over if I did."

"So are you one of the Rangers that was in Silver Hills last year?" Josh asked.

"Yes," Jen replied. "Time Force Pink Ranger."

"So why are you here? And what's going on?" Kimberly asked more eager to get to the point.

"You're here because you two were directly requested by our lead developer on the Chrono Storm project." Jen replied. "I'm sorry for the way you've been treated, but some people are a little high strung given the situation."

"So what's the problem?" Josh asked.

"All existence is coming to an end," Jen replied. Josh and Kimberly exchanged a quizzical look, Jen continued. "Right now we're on our way to the year three thousand and nine."

"Does that have anything to do with that weirdness a few minutes ago?" Kimberly asked.

Jen smiled. "That was the result of crossing from real space into Temporal Space using a sort of 'quantum bridge' developed by Doctor Rupert Eisenzen; It's a little like a wormhole in the fabric of space-time."

"Yeah," Kimberly replied. "I have no idea what you just said."

"We're traveling through time at the moment," Jen rephrased.

"Can we get back to this Chrono Storm project you mentioned?" Josh asked. "What is it?"

"I can't tell you much," Jen replied. "I'm already going to be in trouble for what I've said, but what I can tell you is that the Chrono Storm project is the only shot we have for saving all of existence."

"So how do we tie into all this?" Josh asked raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Jen get back to the bridge we're about to exit Temporal Space." Lucas' voice came over the com.

"I'm in the passenger compartment," Jen replied. "I'll just lock in here."

"That would be fitting," Alex responded cutting in on the conversation. "Since you're likely to be Court Marshaled."

Jen cut the communication and reached down placing her fingers on the side panel.

"Chair restraints activated."

Jen leaned back and placed her arms on the arm rests and positioned her legs on the opposite sides at the base. With a quick flash the metal collars flipped out binding Jen to the chair.

"So what's with this guy, seriously?" Josh asked.

"Alex just has his own way of doing things." Jen said apologetically. "He's by the book and has no tact when it comes to people's feelings. Sad thing is I use to be a lot like him before I met Wes."

"Your boyfriend, husband?" Kimberly ventured.

"No," Jen replied shaking her head. "Nothing like that. Just someone from my past."

Josh and Kimberly exchanged a smile.

"So how do we tie into all this?" Josh asked getting back on topic. "They need us for this thing, this project right? No one else can do it?"

"Well," Jen replied biting her lip for a moment. "No one else is as qualified."

"What does that mean?" Kimberly's voice filled the room.

"Here we go again," Josh replied as the room distorted before returning to normal.

"What does that mean?" Kimberly asked.

"I'm sorry, but what's with the repeating thing?" Josh asked looking at Jen.

"Technically it's not repeating, what you heard was a sort of echo through time, it's like a normal echo instead of the sound bouncing off an object and returning the sound bounces off the entry and exit points of the Eisenzen Bridge and reflects into the past."

"That's just weird," Josh replied.

"So what does it mean that we're the most qualified," Kimberly repeated.

"Right, sorry." Jen replied. "I wish I could be more specific, but if I go into project details I'm in more trouble than just a breech of conduct."

"Seems like a lot of rules for no reason." Josh said. "What are they so afraid of?"

"Temporal contamination." Jen replied. "When you interact with things outside your own time line things change slightly."

"You mean like the butterfly effect?" Josh asked.

"It's not that serious in reality." Jen replied. "Anyway, when things change your mind still remembers them the way they happened; have this occur enough and you end up with Temporal Dissociative Disorder, a form of dementia in which you lose the ability to distinguish reality and your outdated memories."

"That seems strange," Kimberly said.

"When you think about it though time is the way we humans distinguish the passage of events, it's how we organize things. You start moving things around or eliminating them you end up with gaps in your organization. These can be minor from something being invented that wasn't before to someone you know no longer existing in extreme cases. To fix these problems our memories are rewritten to fix these aberrations, but the technology isn't perfect. Sometimes it doesn't work and sometimes certain people don't ever completely forget; the end result isn't pretty."

There was a rumble as the ship touched down.

"I didn't even feel the ship moving," Josh said.

"Inertia stabilizers," Jen replied with a smile. "Welcome to the Thirty-first century."

"So are we going to be cooperative?" Kimberly asked looking over at Josh.

"I have some conditions," Josh replied. "But I think we can at least hear them out."

"So what are your conditions?" Jen asked.

"I'll save those for Alex," Josh replied. "Since they apply to him."

The door to the compartment slid open and two Enforcers entered the room carrying pistols. One reached back pulling a pair of restraints from an automated compartment on his backpack.

"That won't be necessary," Jen replied. "They've agreed to cooperate, but they have some conditions they want to present to Alex."

The two Enforcers held their position as one contacted Alex on the bridge. There was a moment of delay.

"He's on his way down," one of the Enforcer's replied.

There was a period of silence as they waited for Alex to arrive. After nearly two minutes the door opened and Alex entered followed closely by the Commander who had a pistol held by some invisible force to his right leg.

"You have some conditions for me?" Alex asked, the hostile tone in his voice making it apparent that he was not in the mood for any trouble.

"Yes," Josh replied. "First I want you to let Jen over here go free and keep her clear of any trouble in this incident."

Jen looked shocked.

"Is that all?" Alex replied trying to choke back his annoyance.

"I also want you to start treating us with some respect," Josh replied. "If you continue with this attitude of yours we're done. I don't know what passes for good manners in your time, but I grew up in Japan and people there were very respectful, so if you want our help I expect you to treat us with the level of respect you would give us as if we've already agreed to help you."

Alex paused for a moment as if he were considering his words. "Very well," Alex replied his tone changing though Josh could still hear some hostility in his words. "Release them,"

"Yes sir," the two Enforcers replied attaching their pistols to the magnetic harness on their leg and releasing the restraints on the three chairs.

Josh reached back and took hold of Kimberly's hand as the two of them rose from their seats and walked passed Alex toward the Commander.

"Please lead the way," Josh replied looking into the Commander's reflective mask.

The Commander nodded and turned walking toward the exit, Josh and Kimberly followed after him. Jen brushed passed Alex with a dismissive smirk. Alex stood with his back to the door for a moment, his fist clenching briefly before he straightened up and began walking toward the door, the other two Enforcers turning to follow after him. He wasn't happy about this turn of events, but if Jen's complete disregard for protocol had secured their cooperation then he could live with it.

Josh and Kimberly continued to follow the Commander across the cargo bay toward a large loading ramp that was opening toward the front of the bay, illuminating the area with bright rays of light.

"It's going to be interesting to see what things look like," Josh replied. "You know if we're still here in a week we'll be celebrating our one-thousandth and fifth anniversary."

"What do you get for that one?" Kimberly teased.

"Not sure," Josh replied. "But I'm sure it will be expensive."

Kimberly laughed as they reached the end of the cargo bay and began to descend from the ship. The ground below was some form of raised concrete platform, at least it looked a little like concrete in form; the surface was incredibly smooth however, like polished steel. Looking around they could see that they were, in fact, on a large runway complex that was suspended above the ground. The center of the runway seemed to have a rotating section that aligned any ship that entered from one of the other platforms; several other large vehicles sat waiting on these side platforms. Josh couldn't be sure, but they looked a little like components for the Zords he had seen on the news during the Silver Hills incidents.

Below the platform they could see small cube like buildings scattered under the large complex and several areas of well maintained lawn lined with small shrubs and trees. As they cleared the ramp the expanse of blue sky was open to them revealing distant vehicles that streaked across the sky vanishing behind the towering cylindrical buildings. On the tops of some of the shorter buildings near the runway they could see elaborate gardens on the rooftops.

Then they caught sight of the Time Gate. The structure rose from twin pylons at the end of the runway rising nearly one hundred stories into the sky and being nearly fifty stories wide at the level of the runway.

"What's that?" Kimberly asked.

"That's the Time Gate." Jen replied. "It ensures we can maintain a stable Eisenzen Bridge through time when we travel."

Josh's attention was suddenly diverted as he caught a hint of movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned quickly before stopping in awe as he gazed up at a large Zord toward the back of the runway.

"Wow," managed to escape his lips.

"That's Transwarp," Jen replied. "He's sort of an all purpose Zord for the base. But he's also combat capable if we need some extra support. His primary function however is using his Inertia Transfer Drive, allowing vessels to reach maximum acceleration in point six four seconds." Kimberly gave her a puzzled look. "We need to be at a high speed before we cross the event horizon of the Eisenzen Bridge."

"So he's kind of like a catapult on an aircraft carrier?" Josh asked.

"I'm not familiar with what you're talking about." Jen replied. "Sorry."

"That's okay," Kimberly replied with a smile. "I don't understand half of what you're saying either."

Jen grinned. "I know this all probably seems pretty remarkable and complicated."

"Billy would have been at home here," Kimberly replied.

"Who?" Josh asked.

"Oh, an old friend from Angel Grove," she replied.

"Oh right, I remember you mentioning him before, the genius."

"Right,"

As they continued to walk forward Josh suddenly noticed a man in a black and gold uniform similar to Alex's approaching. With him were several more Time Force officers in white suits. Josh eyed the man cautiously.

"Do we like this guy?" Josh asked quietly leaning toward Jen.

"That's Director Westcott, he's the head of Time Force."

"But do we like him?" Josh repeated.

"From what I know he's a good man."

Josh glanced back over his shoulder at Alex and the other two Enforcers following a short distance behind. On the top of the ramp Josh noticed the other two Time Force Officers, who had been with Jen at the house, exiting the ship. He quickly turned his eyes forward again.

As they approached the Director and his entourage everyone came to a halt as the Commander and Jen both saluted the Director.

"At ease," Director Westcott replied.

"Sir these are Joshua and Kimberly Raine," Jen replied stepping aside.

"A pleasure to meet you," Director Westcott replied extending his hand to Josh first. "I trust your experience so far hasn't been an unpleasant one?"

"No complaints," Josh replied shaking his hand. Kimberly noticed the semi-shocked expression on Jen's face, she did a good job of concealing it quickly though.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Kimberly replied taking the Director's hand. "Your staff has been very courteous."

"Wonderful to hear it," The Director replied though Josh could discern a certain degree of disbelief in his tone and expression as he glanced back toward Alex for a moment. "Well let's go inside so we can explain the situation to you."

"Excellent, I'm looking forward to getting some answers," Josh replied as the group began to move toward the back of the runway where a large lift was located.

Kimberly tried hard not to smile. She knew their performance had caused some confusion, but hopefully it had taken some of the edge off. If things got bad it was better to have a potential enemy relaxed, it created more opportunities to control the situation. She could tell Josh was already actively memorizing the route they were taking and looking for blind spots in the security; though it was almost impossible to tell just by looking at him.

She wanted to believe these people were sincere, especially Jen, but their methods up until this point had been questionable, certainly not in line with how Zordon would have handled the situation. He had allowed the five of them to originally walk out of the Command Center with the Morphers even though they had no desire to help him. Then again, he had brought them there without their consent, of course he had simply teleported them, he hadn't used armed guards; maybe she couldn't really compare the two situations as directly as she would like.

"I was just curious," Kimberly began as the group stepped onto the lift. "Do you have teleporters?"

"You're referring to the technology used by the Rangers of Earth under Zordon?" Director Westcott asked.

"Yeah,"

"I'm afraid that technology is still not feasible for us to use." He replied.

"How so?" Josh asked trying to keep the conversation going, it was a good diversion.

"We lack the power output to use it effectively." He replied as the lift began to descend.

"So you can transport a ship full of people a thousand years into the past, but can't transport a single person across the face of the planet?" Josh asked a little puzzled, he also noticed the other two Time Force members in white were not with the group.

"It's more complicated than that." The Director replied. "When we move something through time we do so through something like a wormhole, a gateway. If we could use wormhole technology inside the atmosphere it would be different matter. The Eltarian Teleporter technology however, was fundamentally a particle accelerator that could dismantle and reassemble a person's molecular structure for transport near the speed of light."

"And that's why it takes more power?" Josh asked.

"To put it in terms you'd understand," Alex interrupted. "You would need the equivalent energy that the sun generates to power a device like that and even then there are mass and distance restrictions."

"And how much energy does your Time Gate use?" Kimberly asked.

"By comparison," Jen began. "If the total energy outputted by the sun was equivalent to the Earth's total water supply, it would require less than a drop."

"Huh," Josh replied as the lift came to a stop.

The group began to move toward a large, multi-sectional complex that spread out under the shadow of the runway structure above. Josh noticed that the entire structure was floating above the large building.

"What's holding up the runway?" Josh asked looking around.

"Anti-gravity fields," Jen replied.

"What happens if the power goes out?" Kimberly asked.

"We have emergency reserves to keep it aloft for up to five minutes and we can raise physical pillars to support it, but there hasn't been a power failure in two hundred years," The Director replied. "Now if you'll come this way."

The group turned off from the main building and entered through a pair of sliding doors leading into a domed extension to the right side of the main complex. The room had a large ringed table at the center with rows of stadium style seats outside of, what seemed to be, the main conference area. The room was deserted and a dim ambient light filled the room with a warm glow.

"What is this place?" Josh asked.

"This is the conference room," The Director replied. "We had something we wanted to show you that might help you understand the situation better once we explain it."

"If you'll direct your eyes toward the center of the room." Alex said raising his hand as the lights dimmed into darkness.

An image suddenly spun to life hovering in the air. Josh and Kimberly watched intently as the form of a Ranger in red materialized in the static.

"Greetings," the Ranger in red began. "My name is Tommy Oliver, behind me are the remains of Angel Grove, California in the year nineteen ninety-six,"

Kimberly gasped. The two of them continued to watch the rest of the message intently. Josh's expression changed becoming more sullen. As the message ended the two of them looked at Jen then at the Director.

"None of that ever happened though." Josh said.

"Not here," Alex replied. "It's a message from another dimension, a parallel universe."

"Those exist?" Josh asked.

"They're not suppose to." Jen replied. "That's part of the problem."

"I don't understand," Kimberly began. "What's Tommy doing there?"

"It's not the Thomas Oliver you know," Alex replied. "In the year you left from Thomas Oliver was working with Timothy Mercer on some dangerous research; but that's not relevant to our current problem. I was wondering if you could identify this Ranger."

The display changed to show a blurred image of a Ranger in white with, what appeared to be, a cape flowing behind him.

"The only White Ranger I knew was Tommy," Kimberly replied. "But that's not him; at least I don't think it is. The White Ranger has a black vest with a gold insignia on it."

"You're referring to the White Thunder Ranger?" Alex replied.

"Yes,"

"What about this one then?"

The image changed again showing a blurred Ranger in green, a gold streak blurred over the upper body.

"That looks like the Green Ranger," Kimberly replied. "But…"

"It's not Tommy," Alex replied finishing her sentence. "Do you know who else it could be?"

"No," Kimberly replied shaking her head. "Tommy was the only one to ever have the Green Ranger powers. Unless it was that fake Rita's wizard created, but what I was going to say was Tommy lost his powers. Zordon tried to restore them, but eventually the Green Ranger's powers were used up, there shouldn't be a Green Ranger at all."

Alex made a gesture with his hand and the lights came back up as the image in the center of the room faded.

"Whatever happened to create this alternate reality these two Rangers are somehow involved." Alex said. "The insects you saw in the background were…"

"Sting Wings," Josh replied. "They were minions of Scorpius and Trakeena, members of a race of highly intelligent insects that attacked Terra Venture trying to get the Quasar Sabers from Mirinoi."

"It was on the news," Kimberly added noticing the puzzled looks of everyone in the room.

"So you closely follow the exploits of the various Power Ranger groups over the years?" The Director asked.

"The whole world does," Josh replied. "It's been big news ever since the original team in nineteen ninety-three."

"Interesting," The Director replied pondering the idea for a moment. "Regardless," he began again shaking his thoughts. "If you wouldn't mind accompanying us to our research center you can meet Doctor Jeor and we can begin filling you in on the situation."

Josh and Kimberly both nodded and the group began to head toward the back of the conference room. Josh looked over the area as they exited through a pair of sliding doors. So far things were not looking too good if they needed to escape. The path to the research center was a straight shot down a wide hall, no points for ambush. He wasn't sure if the Director or Alex had much in the way of combat training, but with four white suits, not counting Jen, and the three soldiers in black it would be difficult if he had to fight. There was also the uncertainty of the weapons those armored soldier had. While the Commander said they had been carrying non-lethal weapons, without knowing what those pistols fired it was too dangerous to use them as part of an escape attempt or to risk exposure to them. There was also the matter of how the weapons were attached to the soldiers and if they could even be removed.

Fortunately there was no reason to distrust anyone at this point, but the lack of viable escape options at the moment was still troublesome, Josh began hoping he wasn't going to need one.

"This is our Research and Development Department." Westcott announced as they entered a large open room.

The open space reminded Josh of a hanger or a gym. There were high ceilings and several small rooms running off the main area, in some ways it was more like a high-tech workshop. The machinery and work spaces were a combination of gray metal and gloss black surfaces. Buttons and displays on various devices all appeared to be displayed on smooth glossy screens inlaid into the equipment giving everything a very streamlined and sterile feeling.

An older man in a white body suit began to walk toward them; old as he was, his shaved down gray hair was still thick and full and his eyes had a fierce wisdom to them. As he drew closer Josh could see that the suit he was wearing was actually some form of flexible armor made of soft overlapping pads giving it a look similar to an insect's exoskeleton. On the right breast pad in navy blue was an icon of a half gear with the Time Force insignia in front of it.

"Doctor Jeor," Alex began. "These are the two candidates you asked for."

"Ah yes," the Doctor replied, his voice immediately sounded familiar to Kimberly. "I'm sorry for any trouble I may have caused you, but we are facing a grave situation."

Josh felt a sudden pang in his mind as an almost overwhelming sensation rushed through his mind. He slipped in his stance catching himself before he fell to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Kimberly asked as she wrapped her arms around his right arm as he staggered.

"Yeah," Josh replied. "Just felt a little light headed for a moment."

"It might be a residual effect from time travel," Doctor Jeor replied. "Some of our operatives experience it from time to time."

"Doctor Jeor is head of research division that works on personal equipment for our officers such as the Morphers and various other devices." Westcott explained.

Josh stared at the doctor as the Director continued talking. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had met this man somewhere before. He almost felt as if he had known him all his life.

"We wanted to begin the briefing, if you're ready Doctor?" Alex asked snapping Josh back to the moment.

"Yes, of course," Doctor Jeor replied.

Doctor Jeor motioned toward one of the side rooms and began to walk toward the door, the rest of the group following quickly behind him. As the twin doors slid open the group entered into a small meeting room with a round gloss black table surrounded by ten black leather chairs. The Enforcers took positions to the left and right of the door while the Commander stayed with the Director. As everyone took their seats a holographic image emerged in the center of the table, the insignia of the Time Force Research Division. The Commander remained standing just behind the Director's seat.

"Well," Alex began folding his hands on the table. "Rather than bore you with all the complicated terms and long winded explanations I'll just get to the bottom line."

"That would probably be best," Josh replied; his eyes fixed on the rotating image at the center of the table.

"As you're aware Time Force conducted operations in the year two thousand one to recapture an escaped prisoner of ours named Ransik." He paused briefly as Josh and Kimberly nodded in affirmation. "During the final battle there was an incident with the power sources in the Q-Rex and Ransik's Zord. The result was the creation of, for lack of a simpler term, time holes. Even though we were able to stop the formation of more time holes by the two Zords damage had been done to the time continuum and we spent the next three years reinforcing the damaged sections of our temporal continuity, or timeline. However, in early three thousand three while tracking one particular anomaly we had some source of unknown power break through a quantum barrier, a sort of breech between dimensions…"

"I thought you said there weren't suppose to be any other dimensions?" Kimberly replied.

"Not any parallel dimensions," Alex corrected. "The Quantum Universe has many other dimensions, but none have ever been found to be like ours. For a long time there were theories of a sort of branch chain universe, the idea that each choice made resulted in a new universe thus creating an infinite number of connected universes. This theory was eventually discredited."

"Kay," Kimberly replied.

"When this breech occurred something escaped into the mid nineteen sixties and altered the timeline, or so we thought. We launched a vessel through the gate with one of our Operatives along with several other technical staff onboard at the time. Shortly after they entered the gate we experienced an intense temporal flux, very similar to the effect you experience when time traveling, but amplified over one hundred fold. After we recovered from our disorientation we received the transmission you saw. We were able to indentify our operative's voice at the beginning of the message and also visually when they retreated at the end of the message.

Fortunately, we were also able to establish a temporal anchor point at the source of the transmission. From there we began gathering data on this parallel existence. At which point we discovered that in thirty sixteen, seven years from now, the parallel universe will implode destroying itself along with our universe."

"So why can't you just stop whatever it was that caused this split?" Josh asked.

"Because we don't know exactly what caused it, and more importantly we don't know where it was caused. We know when the energy was released that caused the split and we know when it entered into the past, but not where. All the clues may very well exist in the parallel universe as it appears to be radically different from ours."

"I still don't see how any of this concerns us." Josh replied.

"I'm probably the best one to answer that," Doctor Jeor replied. "You see most people have a limited degree of compatibility with the powers of the Go-Dai."

"The what?" Kimberly asked.

"The Dragon and the Phoenix,"

"Doctor Jeor, may I remind you that the existence of any such beings is nothing more than legend left over from primitive times." Alex interrupted. "The Morphing Grid is nothing more than an alien construct of unknown origin that works to regulate the flow of energy from one dimension to our own."

"But that has nothing to do with the Go-Dai," Josh replied. "The Go-Dai, or the five greats were the elements that made up all that man knew at the time. Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Void or Heaven."

"In this case the fifth is void," Doctor Jeor replied. "The Dragon encompasses the Water and Wind elements, the Phoenix the elements of Fire and Earth, with Void being a separate entity."

"If you believe in that kind of thing." Director Westcott added. "Doctor could you please dispatch with the mythology and get to the point, time is limited after all."

"I'm sorry sir," Doctor Jeor replied. "Like I was saying, most people have a limited ability to interact with these powers. The original design or early icons that could tap into this power, as in the case of your power coins," he said nodding toward Kimberly. "Was to allow the user to train his or her mind to achieve a greater level of compatibility and by extension to gain a greater level of power. However, during the war on Earth the Sorceress Rita Repulsa was able to devise a device that allowed for the creation of an artificial converter, a fusion of," he paused for a moment choosing his words. "What, at the time, was considered arcanum and technology. This allowed anyone to achieve roughly a forty percent compatibility with the power and transform. In some cases this number could be raised to fifty or sixty percent with proper mental conditioning."

"So how are we more compatible?" Josh asked.

"Well, most individuals are somewhere between ten to fifteen percent compatible with the power without any form of conditioning or assistance. You and your wife are roughly seventy percent compatible, with Kimberly being closer to seventy-five."

"So how does that help?" Kimberly asked.

"What it means," Alex replied trying to avoid another of the doctor's lengthy explanations. "Is that either one of you should be able to use the power without the need of a Morpher, and, that with one, you would each be capable or harnessing over ninety percent of the power, and for short bursts you two could conceivably channel the full potential of the Morphing Grid."

"So why is it that I couldn't make better use of my powers when I was the Pink Ranger?" Kimberly asked.

"Because Zordon, most likely, never taught any of you how to interact with the Power Coins directly," Doctor Jeor replied. "I would assume he did this to protect you since the Morphers he had constructed were inherently safer than the one designed by Rita and were built with better power regulation abilities. However, there surely must have been points were Zordon pushed you to use your coins independently of the Morphers?"

"We used them to transfer energy," Kimberly replied trying to recall the specifics. "I'm sure we used them for other things once in a while, but if the coins don't hold power why did the Green Ranger's power get used up?"

"We really don't have time for this," Alex replied.

"I want to know," Kimberly replied. "It's important to me."

Alex lowered his head as the Doctor continued.

"The original Power Coins worked much like modern transmitters and receivers. They needed some form of internal power to function. Normally these internal power sources would be sustained by the Morphing Grid's energy, all I can assume from the vague historical records that we have from that period, is that the coin's ability to gather energy from the grid to sustain itself was interrupted. In which case the coin would cease to transmit or receive power."

"You mean like a radio stops working if you unplug it." Josh said.

"More or less, but it would be a radio where the incoming energy from the transmission would normally power it and recharge its internal stores of energy." Doctor Jeor replied.

"Is everyone happy now?" Alex asked. "Because we are approaching the end of all reality."

"Why are you so tense about this?" Josh asked. "You said there's still seven years until the end of all this."

"That is true," The Director replied. "But we don't know what caused the problem exactly, or how to fix it. We're actually asking you to travel to this alternate timeline for as long as it takes to discover the cause and undo it. The cause for it may not be on Earth, there may be no answers or leads on Earth either. Every second we waste is one less second we have to discover the cause of all this and fix it."

Josh and Kimberly sat back in their chairs allowing these words to sink in.

"Seven years is not enough time to search the entire universe," Alex added. "We are working against the clock in the worst possible way. You only have seven years to figure this out or our whole universe is going to end."

"We need time to talk about this," Josh replied. "It's not that I don't understand the situation, but being ripped from our lives and spending up to seven years away from everything and everyone we know is a big decision."

Alex opened his mouth to speak, but the Director placed a hand on his shoulder. "Of course, but understand that we can not give you more than a day to decide." The Director said. "Chrono-Storm is scheduled for launch tomorrow morning at O-Nine Hundred and for the sake of all life everywhere we will not delay it."

"I understand," Josh replied.

"Jen please show these two to their guest quarters." The Director said.

"Yes sir," Jen replied rising from the table. "This way please," Jen said directing them toward the door they had entered through.

Josh and Kimberly rose from their chairs and walked quietly out of the room. Josh watched the soldiers on either side from the corners of his eyes as they passed by. Jen followed closely behind them.

"It's a lot to take in isn't it?" Jen replied as they walked down the hall toward the Conference Room.

"Yeah," Josh agreed; his mind elsewhere as they proceeded though the corridor.

"Are you okay?" Kimberly asked noticing his distant expression.

"Sorry," Josh replied, his eyes refocusing as if he had been watching something beyond the confines of the building. "Just thinking about all of this."

As they entered the Conference Room Jen guided them to the right and out through another door into a hallway with several corridors branching from the main passage.

"Jen?" Josh began. "I know this is insignificant with everything that is going on, but do you think we can get some shoes?"

Jen looked down realizing that the two of them had nothing more than their socks when they had been captured.

"Of course," Jen replied with a smile. "I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner."

"It's fine," Josh replied.

"Oh," Kimberly said suddenly. "What about Hailey?"

"Who?" Jen asked.

"Our dog," Josh replied.

"I'll have someone retrieve her," Jen replied.

"I hope the Police didn't take her somewhere," Josh replied.

"Don't worry," Jen replied as they came to an elevator at the end of the hallway. "We'll be able to secure her."

The elevator doors opened and the three of them entered the circular tube. The wall rotated sealing the lift as it began to move downward.

"Where are we going?" Josh asked noticing the downward movement of the lift.

"Living quarters," Jen replied. "Most of Time Force's facilities are located underground."

After a few seconds the lift came to a stop and the door slid open. Josh and Kimberly stepped out into a wide hallway of sterile white. The walls, ceiling, and floor almost appeared to be made of plastic, but had the cold feel of metal under their feet. The ceiling seemed to glow with a soft white light that was reflected by the other surfaces creating a pleasant array of ambient lighting down the corridor. Several other Time Force Personnel in white suits were moving through the various hallways that passed through their own.

"These are the living quarters," Jen replied. "They're organized into blocks and then the blocks are numbered by row."

"How big is a block?" Josh asked.

"Nine units," Jen replied. "Follow me,"

Jen led the two of them down a series of halls zigzagging toward her destination, various officers stopped and regarded them with a degree of interest until they arrived at unit two-J-six. The door slid open as ambient lighting flared to life. Jen held her arm out directing them in. As Kimberly stepped through the door she could see the unit was roughly the size of a small studio apartment. A wall partly divided the common area from the sleeping area which contained a small bathroom. The common area had four chairs around a small round table and a large gloss black panel lining the wall, roughly the size of a large window.

"The computer here is voice activated and should be able to explain how everything works and how to get anything you need." Jen said. "Computer, authorization Jennifer Buer, delta-one-six-Z-two-four-rho-J-nine-nine-K-V link com system to Jennifer Buer, Lucas Kendall, and Katie Jantzen."

There was a short tone before the computer's calm female voice replied. "Acknowledge, link established."

"Clear code," Jen replied.

"User logged out,"

"If you need anything else you can contact myself, Lucas, or Katie and we'll get it for you. I'll send one of them down with a change of clothes and some shoes; I'm going to go see if I can get authorization to retrieve your dog."

"Thank you," Kimberly replied. "For everything."

"Thank you," Jen replied with a smile, "Thanks to you two I still have a career."

"Don't mention it," Josh replied returning her smile. "By the way, do we really have privacy here?" He paused. "They're not watching or listening to us?"

"I selected this room as one of the many currently open, so I don't think they could have possibly set any form of surveillance up." Jen replied. "So the only place they could view you from would be the terminal over there." She said indicating the black wall panel. "I wouldn't worry about it though. The only thing they might be concerned with is you escaping and since Time Force is considered to be the most secure facility on Earth it's not very likely they'll be watching, especially with all the preparations being made for tomorrow."

"Well thanks again," Josh replied.

"Your welcome," Jen replied stepping back as the door slid shut. As the door closed Jen turned away and began moving back up the hallway toward the nearest lift raising her Morpher to her chin. "Katie, this is Jen."

"I read you," Katie replied, a holographic image appearing above the tinted dome on Jen's Morpher.

"I need you to get a change of clothes for our guests, including some form of footwear, and take them down to unit two-J-six."

"Is everything alright?" Katie asked.

"So far," Jen replied. "They're at least considering the situation, but haven't decided if they plan on helping or not yet."

"What about you though?"

"Joshua actually made ignoring my insubordination a criteria for his cooperation and so far it looks like Alex is going along with it."

"That's a relief."

"I need one more thing from you, Katie."

"Sure."

"I need you to get Lucas working on an authorization for a temporal transition."

"What for?"

"The Raines would like something from their home," Jen replied. "Just tell them it would be helpful in securing their help in the Chrono-Storm project."

"Alright," Katie replied as the image faded from Jen's Morpher.

Jen reached the end of the hall and activated the elevator controls, the door quickly spinning open before she stepped in. As the door whirled closed she let out a heavy sigh, it seemed the next twenty hours would decide everything, and there was still a lot of work to be done.

"So what are all your thoughts on this?" Josh asked walking into the common area and talking a seat in one of the four chairs.

"In general?" she asked sitting on the right arm of his chair and putting an arm around his shoulder as his arm wrapped around her waist. "I think they're telling the truth, but I don't really like how they've been handling things."

"True," Josh replied. "But if all existence is being threatened I don't think we should hold their attitudes against the whole universe."

"No, you're right, I wasn't even thinking that."

"So what do you think we should do?"

"I think we should help if we can," she replied. "But if you don't think we should I'll support you."

"For better or for worse," Josh replied thinking aloud.

"Do you not want to get involved?"

"I don't know," Josh sighed. "I just don't know."

Kimberly could tell there was more on his mind than what he was voicing.

"So what's going on in your head?" she asked. "We can figure it out together."

"Since we've been here I've just been wondering if all this is related to those nightmares I've been having."

"Are you thinking maybe those dreams are the future?"

"The future, the past, maybe the present in another world, I'm not sure. On top of it, there was that doctor, when he started talking I just got this overwhelming feeling that I had met him before."

"Yeah," Kimberly replied raising her left arm and running her fingers through his hair. "I got that feeling too."

"I just get the feeling all this is connected,"

"Personally, this is a little unnerving for me too. I think Zordon knew this would happen someday,"

"What do you mean?"

"It was when I was still trying to decide if I wanted to go to Florida," Kimberly began, her voice softening. "I had decided that I wasn't going to go, I felt my promise to protect the Earth had to come first, and so I was ready to let go of my dream. But my friends, and even Zordon, talked me into going. One of the things Zordon said though was that it would be beneficial to everyone if I went because someday it would make me a stronger Power Ranger.

"I always thought he meant that after the Pan Global Games I'd come back to help the team again, but then I met you and things didn't work out that way. Now I'm wondering if this is what he was talking about."

"So you think this might be destiny?"

"I don't know," she replied softly. "But I know if we don't go we'll never know."

"It isn't that the chance to go to another world isn't alluring, but…"

"But what?"

Josh paused for a minute and sighed. Kimberly waited quietly running her fingers gently through his hair. She could tell whatever it was he was trying to get out was difficult for him.

"I'm afraid…"

"Afraid of what?" Kimberly asked sliding her other arm around him in an embrace.

The doors to the lift slid open as Jen stepped out onto the flight deck. The area was eerily silent, with all the technicians having been pulled from their regular assignments and reassigned to the Chrono-Storm project. Jen glanced around looking for any sign of a time ship. Not seeing any vessels on the platforms she raised her Morpher.

"Lucas?"

"I'm here," he replied as his image appeared on the display.

"Have you been able to get me my Authorization?"

"Yes," Lucas replied. "Just barely, they've authorized a Raven; it should be coming up one of the smaller service lifts on the south end any time now, if it's not already there."

"Thanks Lucas," Jen replied cutting the communication.

She began walking toward the structures on the south side of the deck. As she drew closer she could make out the sleek midnight blue form of the Raven. Like all next generation equipment since the Time Shadow the Raven had been upgraded with a cloaking field to help keep operations discreet. Its forerunner, the Eagle, had almost been completely cycled out of active use, though not many had been developed before the Raven had been introduced.

Jen walked up to the vehicle, running her hand over the prow of the streamlined craft before climbing into the single-seat cockpit. As she entered the vehicle's systems sprang to life, up-linking with her Morpher.

"User, Jennifer Buer identified," the computer voice began. "Biometric scan confirmed; power up complete, control link established."

There was a dull hum as the Mu Drive powered up negating friction and gravity. Then the engines came online and the small craft lifted from the ground, the twin turbines producing almost no noise as the Raven glided smoothly over the flight deck lining up with the temporal gate.

Jen's fingers danced over the controls causing the gate to flare to life as the Eisenzen Bridge formed beyond the gate's event horizon. Jen glanced over the system readout one last time before pushing the throttle forward.

The slender ship darted forward, accelerating at an incredible rate. In mere seconds it traversed the runway and vanished into the gate in a burst of white light.

"I just don't understand why though," Kimberly repeated pacing around the outside of the chairs. "You've never been afraid of any challenge in your entire life. You'd probably still be fighting in the UFC or worse if I hadn't asked you to stop."

"It's not the challenge… it's not the difficulty, that's giving me second thoughts," Josh replied staring up at the ceiling.

"Then what is it?" Kimberly asked looking at him.

"I already told you."

"All you said was that you were afraid that the challenge was too much, I don't understand what that means though," Kimberly replied.

"I'm not sure I know myself," Josh replied. "It's just something, I guess a feeling, I don't have the words to explain it…"

"What is so different about this from any other challenge you've faced?" she asked pushing a chair toward his and taking a seat opposite him.

"The scale, I guess," Josh replied as Kimberly took hold of his hands. "But not in the sense of the difficulty, I guess I'm worried that I won't be able to win this time… I guess it's the stakes that concern me."

"It's the burden of having to save the world?" she asked.

"Yeah," Josh replied, his tension easing as he came to grips with his thoughts. "I guess in that sense you're stronger than me." He paused for a moment. "You see an opportunity to save the world and you jump at it, but me? I just don't want that responsibility resting on my shoulders; I don't even know how I would begin to deal with that,"

"By realizing you aren't alone," Kimberly replied squeezing his hands.

Josh looked into her eyes as a moment of understanding passed between them.

"But what if we fail?" Josh asked.

"What if we don't?" Kimberly replied. "Don't lose your determination just because the stakes are high."

"But that's part of my problem; I can't get passed this idea of 'what if'."

"Why hasn't that stopped you before?" she asked.

"It's different, it's all that's at stake." Josh repeated searching for a better way to explain. "Before, if I failed, so what, I could always work harder; try again, but this time?"

"Can I give you a different 'what if'?" she asked, Josh nodded his head slightly. "What if they send someone else and they fail; what if the people they send are killed and everything is erased forever with no second chance?"

Before Josh could answer a tone sounded from the direction of the door.

"Yes?" Josh responded.

The door slid open as another woman in a Time Force uniform entered the room carrying a package.

"Hi I'm Katie," she replied. "I hope I'm not interrupting," she said seeing the couple.

"No," Josh replied. "We're just talking."

"Well," Katie began. "I brought you a change of clothes and some shoes. I hope you don't mind but they're Time Force training uniforms."

Katie set the box on the table and opened it to reveal a pair of black shirts with the Time Force Emblem in white over the left breast, and a pair of gray pants under which were two pairs of black athletic shoes.

"Will these fit me?" Kimberly asked looking at the size of the shoes.

"They adjust automatically," Katie replied.

"So one size fits all?" Kimberly replied.

"As long as you're human," Katie replied with a smile. "Well I should let you two get back to whatever you were discussing." She replied as she turned to leave.

"Before you go," Kimberly began. "I have a question."

"Okay," Katie replied as she turned in the doorway.

"You're a Ranger right?"

"Time Force Yellow," she replied with a smile.

"Why do you do it?" Kimberly asked.

"Why am I a Ranger?" Katie asked. Kimberly nodded in response. "It's funny you ask, there was a time a few years ago that I didn't know myself." She replied as her thoughts seemed to drift to a distant place and time.

"So did you finally find a reason?" Josh asked after a moment.

"I did," Katie replied snapping back to reality. "I realized I had been given an opportunity to protect everything I loved. And while, at the time, I didn't know what would happen, if everything I loved was already lost or not, I knew that if I didn't fight then there was no hope."

Josh smiled watching the fierce look of determination burn in her eyes as she spoke those words. "Thanks," he replied. "That was helpful,"

"And thanks for the clothes," Kimberly added.

"You're welcome," Katie replied. "Can I do anything else for you?"

"No, what you said was good, thank you." Josh replied.

"If you need anything else, just let us know." Katie replied as she turned and walked out of the room.

"Well?' Kimberly asked.

"That was a little too coincidental don't you think?"

"Like you said, maybe it's destiny." She replied with a playful smile.

"I'm beginning to think it really is," Josh replied with a sigh.

His mind was racing as he faced the prospect of accepting this task. There were all kinds of things he wanted to protect, Kimberly, his family, his friends, if everything ended it wouldn't just be the end of him, but it would put an end to everything he valued in life. But at the same time doing this would mean putting the person he loved the most in harms way.

"I suppose you wouldn't consider letting me do this alone?' he asked.

"No," she replied staring intently into his eyes. "I want to protect you as much as you want to protect me."

"So I guess we're really going to do this," he replied.

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

"I know I want to protect you and my family and friends," Josh replied. "If that means going to another world and fighting then that's what I'm going to do."

The Raven burst from the sky in a flash of brilliant green light as the stealth field engaged, washing over the vehicle as it vanished into the blue of the sky. As Jen raced down the coastline she could see the Raine's house rapidly approaching. She reduced her speed and came to a stop over the Raine's backyard. Below she could see a small back porch just behind the garage and began making a slow descent. Lightly she touched down on the concrete slab and shut down the engine.

Before she could exit the Raven a golden retriever emerged from a small dog door at the back of the house. Jen looked at the Chronograph on her Morpher; Alex would be at the front door soon. The dog moved toward her, apparently the stealth field did not completely fool the dog's more developed senses. Jen slowly reached down to her belt and pulled out a small cube with a translucent blue face on one side. Slowly she leaned toward the dog as it sniffed around the edge of the stealth field.

The dog suddenly perked up as Jen's jacket brushed against the side of the Raven. In a panicked movement Jen thrust the cube toward the dog's face depressing the thumb pad on top. In a flash of azure light the dog froze, becoming completely immobile.

Jen slowly slid out of the Raven's cockpit and opened the side storage compartment.

"Sorry to have to treat you like baggage," Jen whispered as she leaned out of the stealth field and picked up the dog, quickly pulling her back inside.

As Jen finished securing Hailey in the cargo pod the Raven's main display lit up identifying another temporal anomaly. She was out of time; she would have to wait until they left before she made her temporal jump to avoid detection, but staying in place was dangerous too. If she kept the turbines running on minimal power then she might be able to avoid Alex and the Enforcers from detecting her presence.

She slowly powered the engines up trying to remember the flight path the Chronos Black had taken. They had come in over the ocean, but she could not remember if they had passed directly over the house or over one of the neighboring homes. She glanced around the skies, but through her own stealth field was unable to locate any visual distortions.

With a deep breath she pulled back on the control stick, elevating the Raven enough to clear the back fence before slowly gliding forward. So far her systems were not indicating any form of active tracking; of course there was little reason for the Chronos Black to be scanning for anything out of the ordinary.

As the Raven cleared the fence Jen dove sharply down the cliff face, pulling up just short of the sandy beach. Satisfied with the distance she had put between herself and the house she pushed up on the throttle racing over the sand and out over the waves. Now she merely had to wait until after the Chronos Black made its return jump.

Josh was standing in front of the wall panel dressed in the clothes he had been given; an image of Katie was displayed in the center. Kimberly was sitting in one of the chairs behind him slipping her foot into one of the shoes which quickly constricted, as millions of nano-machines reorganized, form fitting to her foot perfectly.

"Jen is out at the moment," Katie replied. "Do you two need something?"

"Nothing like that," Josh replied. "We just needed to talk to Jen about something at her earliest convenience."

"I'll let her know as soon as she's available," Katie replied.

"Thanks," Josh replied.

The image faded to black and the words 'transmission ended' appeared on the center of the screen before disappearing.

"I hope Jen gets back soon," Josh replied.

"I'm sure she'll be back before tomorrow morning," Kimberly replied. "And if not we can just let someone else know."

"It's not that," Josh replied. "I mean I really want to give the news to Jen, but right now I'm missing out on time that would be better spent practicing with those powers. I know you're familiar with all this, but I need time to adjust."

"There's not much to learn though," Kimberly replied as Josh took a seat next to her. "The first time you morph you become aware of how to use all your abilities, it's almost like an instinct."

"So you're just at your best once you morph?"

"Well, not exactly, you have to get over your ideas about what's possible and what's not."

"How so?"

"Well, being able to leap a hundred feet, being able to lift a car, a fall from a sky scrapper not hurting any more than tripping, it's hard overcoming your normal reactions to it at first."

"So you're saying even though all your powers are there you just aren't use to using them so you don't?"

"That's how it was for me," Kimberly replied. "It took a while before I began to realize that I wasn't limited by my normal abilities. When you start to understand that you can break through thick rock like it was thin glass, how you look at problems changes."

"So, for instance, if you were cornered in an alleyway you normally would only have the option to go back the way you came, but with these powers you could go through a wall, or leap to the top of a building."

"See, you'll be fine." Kimberly replied with a smile. "Just don't over think it, it comes naturally."

"Okay," Josh replied slumping down in his chair looking up at the ceiling. "I'm just,"

"Anxious," Kimberly replied getting up and walking over behind his chair. "You've never failed at anything you've been determined to succeed at," she bent down and kissed his lips. "So relax,"

The temporal gate flared to life as the small form of the Raven emerged through the event horizon and slowly glided to a stop at the end of the runway. Jen moved the craft onto one of the maintenance bays and initialized the vehicle's shutdown. The fans slowed to a stop dropping the Raven lightly on the deck. As the Mu Drive deactivated Jen could feel the sudden shift in her body as gravity was restored, almost as if she had suddenly dropped. She climbed out of the cockpit and opened the cargo pod. The dog was still standing motionlessly in the container, air cushions holding her firmly in place.

Jen pressed a button causing the bags to deflate as the base of the cargo pod slid forward bringing Hailey out. Stooping down Jen attached a small, thick disc to the dog's collar and squeezed it; a small blue light in the center began flashing at two second intervals.

"I hope you're friendly," Jen said with a sigh as she pulled out her black cube and held it up to the dog's face.

There was a brief flash before Hailey stumbled to one side quickly sitting to avoid falling over. Suddenly Jen's Morpher toned.

"Go ahead," Jen replied bringing her Morpher up to her chest.

"This is Katie, Josh wanted to talk to you as soon as you're ready."

"Alright," Jen replied. "I'll head down there in a minute, thanks."

The image flickered off. Jen slowly reached her hand out toward the dog allowing her to sniff it.

"You want to go see your owners?" Jen asked.

The small disc alternated between blue and yellow pulses of light for a moment as Jen's words were translated into thought impulses. Slowly Hailey stood up, apparently a little disoriented from the whole ordeal.

"You'll be okay," Jen replied rubbing her head as she rose to her feet. Jen began to walk toward the main service lift, Hailey walking calmly at her side.

"All systems have passed checks and appear to be operational within point zero two of tolerance." One of the technicians said.

"I want it down to point zero one," Alex replied. "I don't want a repeat of what happened last time."

"Yes sir," the technician replied.

Alex walked away from the monitoring station into a corridor that ringed around the center of a large spherical chamber. Alex gazed out one of the windows at a hole nearly three meters in diameter in the center of the floor opposite an identical hole in the ceiling. Arrays protruded from the blackened walls like hideous teeth.

"The Devlin Sphere," Alex muttered under his breath.

The device had seemed simple when Doctor Devlin had proposed it, but its execution had proved far more difficult. After construction of the first prototype in three thousand four they had discovered that the Quantum Space between dimensions was increasingly unstable and prone to, what had been dubbed, Quantum Storms, fierce explosions as Quantum Energy continually underwent a process of convergence and divergence, the smallest of these releasing more power than a quasar. They lost the first three probes that they had sent while retrieving minimal data about the phenomena.

While the scientists viewed this limitless power as beneficial, to Alex it was only an obstacle to overcome. After several more failed attempts the use of Tachyons had been employed successfully to create and sustain a more stable conduit for travel. After two successful tests sending probes they tried to move a larger vessel through the gate. This had resulted in the destruction of the first gate and most of the Antarctic continent along with many members of the research team, including Devlin. The smaller gate built deep under Time Force had been constructed eight months later with the mass restrictions in mind.

When a physical object entered into Quantum Space the organized energy acted as a beacon for the concentration of Quantum Energy. In retrospect it had indeed been fortunate that the resulting destruction of the Time Shadow Mark Two had destabilized the Tachyon field closing the gate, otherwise the surge might have obliterated the entire planet. It was also fortunate that the Tachyon Bore had not pierced the dimensional fabric of the alternate universe prior to the explosion.

Future tests had been more successful, but there had still been incidents of Quantum backlash. It seemed at this stage that anything they sent through the gate still needed an element of luck to survive the journey. He would have liked to better understand the nature of the Quantum Storms, but they were out of time, even now he wished they had put this plan into effect a year ago, but the matter had been tied up with the counsel until even the strongest opponents no longer felt that waiting was a prudent course of action.

"Eighteen hours," Alex sighed as he closed the blast door on the other side of the window and began walking down the corridor.

Jen pressed on the small green pad on the side of the door.

"Just a second," Josh's voice came through the door.

Hailey's ears perked up for a moment; still she remained seated at Jen's side. After a brief wait the door slid open as Josh stepped into the opening of the common area subtly smoothing his shirt.

"Sorry about… Hailey!" Josh exclaimed.

Hailey immediately jumped up and sprang across the short distance to her master, coming to a stop in front of him as he scratched her behind both her ears.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Jen replied stepping in enough to allow the door to close.

"Don't worry about it," Josh replied, his tone a little awkward.

Jen paused for a moment, not sure what to make of his comment. "I heard you wanted to talk to me?" she said brushing it off.

"Oh yeah," Josh replied. "We just wanted to let you know that we'll do it, we'll go to the other world."

"Thank you," Jen replied.

"So is there somewhere we can leave Hailey while we're gone?" Josh asked as he began to walk back toward the common area, the dog brushing passed him sniffing around the room.

"I'm sure I could find someone to watch her, or if you're okay with it we could always put her in cryo-sleep."

"You mean like freezing?" Kimberly's voice came from around the corner as she entered the common area.

"It's a little more sophisticated than that," Jen replied.

"Still," Josh replied. "I don't know, it might be normal in this time, but where, or I guess you can say 'when' we're from it's just strange."

"What do you think Hailey?" Kimberly asked kneeling down and scratching the sides of her head and neck. "You want to be frozen?" the disc on the collar flashed for a moment before Hailey barked.

"I don't think she likes the idea either." Josh said.

"What's this thing on her collar?" Kimberly asked looking at the small blinking disc.

"It's an Auditory Neural Transmitter," Jen replied. "It transforms words into brainwave patterns that allows an animal to understand the basic intent of your words."

"That would have helped during training her," Kimberly replied.

Josh nodded, "Concerning her care though, I suppose freezing could be a last resort, but if you can't find anyone to take her you could always leave her with my parents in Florida."

"I'll try," Jen replied. "But I don't know if they'll allow it given the effects of temporal contamination."

"That's all we can ask." Josh said.

"Well if you don't have anymore questions I should report to my superiors," Jen replied.

"I think that's it," Josh said turning to Kimberly with a quizzical look.

"We're good." She agreed.

"Alright," Jen said turning to go. "I imagine they'll want you for a briefing within the hour."

"Alright," Josh replied. "And thanks again for getting Hailey."

"You're welcome," Jen said with a nod as she walked out of the room.

"Is the mood killed?" Josh asked as the door shut.

"For now," Kimberly replied with a smile. "I'm sure we'll have more time after the briefing."

Jen walked down the hall lifting her Morpher and opening a link. An image of Director Westcott appeared on the display.

"What do you have to report Officer Buer?" he asked.

"The Raines have agreed to help us," Jen replied. "I told them they should expect to be picked up for a briefing within the hour."

"Excellent," Westcott replied. "I'll assemble the staff and notify you when we're ready for them."

"Yes sir," Jen replied ending the transmission.

"… and that's why you can't use your Morphers prior to crossing the Quantum Barrier." Doctor Jeor said concluding his lengthy explanation.

"Yeah," Kimberly mumbled to Josh. "That clears everything up."

Josh smirked as he continued to listen to the briefing. They had been seated in the main conference room around the central table for the last three hours going over a lot of technical data from Alex and the Doctor only to have things restated in a few simplified sentences by Jen or the Director.

What Josh had understood so far was that once they crossed into the parallel Earth they had roughly seven years to determine the source of the split and construct a temporal beacon and a time ship, apparently the schematics for all this were stored in their Morphers, and travel to the point of divergence and prevent it.

The problems were numerous, the biggest being, of course, the lack of information from the other side. No one was even sure that the team of Rangers that had contacted them from nineteen ninety-six were still alive. Part of the meeting had even been spent with some deliberation as to whether or not there was even a means of getting off the planet once they had arrived. Josh was finding the bulk of this briefing to be little more than speculation and conjecture.

They knew that Scorpius' insect army seemed to have a hold on the area that they would be dropping into, but they had no information regarding the strange attack at the end of the transmission, though the general consensus had been that it was the Machine Empire, a long since extinct race of machines that tried to conquer Earth on more than one occasion. What no one could seem to agree on was how the Earth had reached the state it was in and how the Green Ranger and the mysterious White Ranger played into it.

Josh ran his right hand over the silver brace on his left forearm tracing his fingers over the sea-green dragon, with patches of black, green, and blue, etched into the surface. The image was curled around itself in half of what appeared to be the symbol for Yin and Yang. The icon on Kimberly's brace seemed to complete it, a fiery phoenix etched much more lively in fiery reds, oranges, yellows, and pinks. He had been hoping to have some time to adjust to his new powers, but Doctor Jeor said this would be impossible since using the power would leave some residual energy on them which could cause problems when they made the trip to the other dimension.

Josh noticed Kimberly yawn as Alex continued to talk about possible means of getting into space once they were on Earth.

"You realize we're not mechanically inclined in any way," Josh interrupted. "No matter how many scenarios you create, I still can't make a plasmatic, whatever you just called it. I can carve," he offered. "But unless we can build a rocket with carved wood and stone the only realistic scenario I've heard tonight is the one where we scout out the area, and, in the event we can't hook up with the Rangers there, we establish a safe zone and contact you for more personnel."

Alex was about to protest, but he was cut off by the Director. "While I don't appreciate your tone," he said as Josh nodded apologetically. "I do agree with Joshua, these two were not selected for their technical expertise, but as the best candidates to secure a safe zone for further exploration by qualified Time Force staff. And since the operation is scheduled to commence in just under fourteen hours, I think for these two the time would be best spent resting and preparing for tomorrow in their own way."

"Yes sir," Alex replied. "Well then, wake up is at o-seven hundred, final preparations and checks will begin at o-eight hundred. Dismissed."

"Finally," Kimberly sighed sluggishly pushing herself up from her seat.

"Dinner and a movie?" Josh suggested as he got up.

"Sure," Kimberly replied smiling. "I'm sure something's come out in the last thousand years worth watching." She added, lacing her fingers through his as they began to walk toward the exit.

Alex watched the couple walk out hand in hand, a subtle scowl crossing his normally calm features. As the door shut behind them he turned toward Doctor Jeor.

"Are you positive those two are the best candidates?" Alex asked.

"Quiet certain," the Doctor replied. "I am almost completely convinced they will bring this crisis to an end without anymore of our help, and long before we reach our deadline."

"And what makes you so confident?" Alex asked.

"Nothing that would set your mind at ease," Jeor replied. "Just an old legend,"

"And how long will you cling to your superstitions for guidance?" Alex asked.

"Though you don't agree with it, have I ever been wrong?" the Doctor replied as he turned heading back for the lab.

Alex watched him go as his mind rifled through everything he had learned from Jeor, every invention he had created and the advancements he had brought to Time Force.

"No," he half whispered, realizing the Doctor was correct.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Kimberly asked softly.

"No," Josh replied as his finger traced out the strokes of a kanji character on Kimberly's stomach.

The couple was curled up together in their bed under a light blanket, Kimberly's back pressed against Josh's chest; his arms wrapped around her body as her head nestled beneath his chin. Hailey sat on the floor at the foot of the bed sleeping, her ears perking up slightly at the sudden conversation.

"Are you starting to have second thoughts?" he asked.

"No, but I am a little nervous," she replied as his finger finished the character's strokes. "What does that one mean?" she asked in a whisper.

"Beautiful," he replied.

Kimberly smiled; her body shifted, rubbing against his.

"You're not even a little nervous?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"As long as we're together I'll be just fine," he said beginning to trace another character.

Kimberly sat quietly as his finger glided lightly over her skin slowly completing the pictograph.

"And what does that one mean?" she asked.

"Courageous, but it can also mean 'cheer up'" he replied with a smile.

All around them Time Force personnel were racing around completing the final preparations as Josh and Kimberly received some last minute instructions from Doctor Jeor. Alex paced the room in his normal demeanor barking orders and demanding status updates on various systems and equipment.

The morning had been a hectic one. Kimberly could still feel the mild queasiness in her stomach from their quick breakfast. Josh was a little out of sorts as well having had his Tai Chi interrupted at seven when Jen had arrived with a change of clothes and requesting their Morphers.

The suits they now wore were similar in appearance to the uniform Doctor Jeor wore, though the plating was of a much stronger material and had a high collar. The outer layer shifted in color based on the surroundings giving them a degree of stealth. The suits themselves were the latest nano-machine based environmental suits, designed to be completely self contained, capable of filtering water from perspiration and waste and purifying it for use, a feature Kimberly was hoping to not have to use. Any other remaining waste was broken down by the nano-machines into useful base elements. According to the Doctor the suit's nano-machines were even capable of collecting hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon from the air and water to form simple sugars for food if necessary.

They had also each been given a standard plasma pistol with two replacement charges giving them roughly five hundred rounds of ammunition to use apart from their Ranger powers. Josh would have also liked to have something more substantial like a sword, but their suits did offer a degree of muscle amplification, and combined with his marital arts prowess it was almost as good.

"Now there is one last thing you need to be aware of," the Doctor replied. "Both of your Morphers have an enhanced mode called Mode Omega. It is experimental and will augment your powers for up to three minutes and twenty seconds before shutting down."

"Why wasn't this in the briefing last night?" Josh asked.

"We just finished installing the system a moment ago," Doctor Jeor replied handing Josh and Kimberly their Morphers.

"You just develop this too?" Josh asked as he strapped the brace over his left forearm.

"No, but our other candidates could not have made use of Mode Omega, so it still wasn't installed, and it seems that the upgrades had been put into storage, so we only received them back a few hours ago."

"So how much of a power gain are we talking about here?" Josh asked.

"It's an exponential system, so I would say close to a one hundred fold gain."

"Wow," Josh replied.

"Is there a limit on its use?" Kimberly asked.

"I would try to avoid using it more than once or twice every twenty-four hours, and never within six hours of the last use."

"Alright," Alex shouted over the din in the launch bay causing the room to fall quiet. "Everything is ready, Joshua and Kimberly if you would please take you places."

Josh nodded as he and Kimberly began to walk toward two almond shaped frames sitting vertically on a track over a pit facing one another. As they each climbed into their respective sleds technicians began powering up the tachyon fields that surrounded the frail metal frames, bathing them in a pale magenta light.

"You'll want to put your helmets on," one of the technicians said.

Josh and Kimberly reached up to a small pad on the collar, as Josh pressed in on the pad he mouthed 'I love you' to Kimberly. 'I love you too' she mouthed as she activated her own pad. A thick mass of fluid seemed to crawl over their heads as the nano-machines interlaced into a solid protective helmet, leaving a transparent section over each eye like a lens. As the process completed the mass of tiny machines shifted in color to match their surroundings, the lenses also shifting in color.

"Everyone, start clearing out," Alex said as the staff began to file out of the room.

Alex walked over to the couple as the technicians finished prepping the sleds and exited.

"I appreciate your help," Alex replied. "Best of luck to you both,"

Josh and Kimberly nodded in response as Alex turned to leave the room. The countdown began to come over the com system.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven," the darkness below them burst into a turbulent mix of dark purples, pinks and red as the Tachyon Bore sprang to life.

"Six,"

"See you on the other side," Josh said as the count continued.

"Three,"

"Yeah," Kimberly replied with a nod.

"One,"


	3. Chapter 3

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dawn of Primacy: Vergence

-3-

Kimberly felt her stomach leap up into her chest as both sleds dropped. She tried to keep her breakfast down as both frames fell in almost perfect synchronization toward the light below. Josh had braced himself by folding his arms over his chest as if he were in a coffin, though Kimberly did not find that imagery reassuring. She could feel her body continue to accelerate, unsure of how long they had been falling, it seemed like it had been over a minute and she began to wonder just how far down this tunnel went.

Before she could continue her thoughts the fiery energy of the Tachyon Bore suddenly vanished into a pool of swirling white and azure light. She was dimly aware of the room expanding before everything around her vanished in a flash of sky blue.

When her eyes adjusted she found herself floating down a stretch of fuchsia light amid a torrent of white, blue, and green energy twisting in on itself as if it was a tempest sea. She could see Josh drifting mere feet from her, his head moving slightly as he surveyed the splendor of Quantum Space.

Suddenly she felt strong vibrations through her body as a torrent of swirling green energy crashed into the side of the magenta conduit causing the walls to distort for a moment before reforming. She gasped as she saw another surge of blue energy sweep in like a strong wind shattering the energy conduit behind them, their sleds tossed around the interior of the conduit as energy surged in like rushing waters.

As an instinct Kimberly and Josh reached for one another, but found their hands stopped by the Tachyon shell around the sleds. Kimberly's sled bounced off the conduit wall flying back at Josh's, the fields around the sleds sparking in a shower of red, like petals of burning light, as they made contact and bounced away from one another.

As Kimberly spun around helpless to right herself, trying to overcome the vertigo she saw a flash of green tear away another section of conduit ahead of them. Rotating around Kimberly caught a glimpse of Josh before her sled bounced off the edge of the tear and was sent violently spinning down the conduit. Unable to handle the forces placed on her and her growing disorientation Kimberly began to blackout. The beautiful colors of the void blended together as her vision began to blur until suddenly everything went black.

After a few moments she began to realize that she had not blacked out. Slowly opening her eyes she found herself soaring through space, the Earth's blue oceans encompassing most of her vision. As she turned her head she could see stars out in the black field of space. Behind her she could also see Josh who raised one of his hands to wave, letting her know he was okay. She waved in return as she continued to gaze at the wonders around her.

"Hey, Kim can you hear me?" Josh's voice suddenly broke the silence over the com system.

"Yeah," she replied. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I had a close call back there, but I'm doing alright, how about you?"

"I think I almost passed out, but I'm okay."

"You were really spinning for awhile there; I'm not sure what stopped you." Josh replied.

"How long do you think it'll be before we're on the ground?" Kimberly asked. "I'd really like to be standing on something solid."

"Not sure," Josh replied. "Looks like we're still following that high tech drill," Josh added watching the spinning points of magenta light ahead of them. "Though I have no idea how much time is left, I'd assume not more than five or ten minutes once we hit the atmosphere."

"Why'd we get dropped off in space?"

"Not sure, they said the process was unstable, maybe we fell out early or something."

"Do you remember if they said these things had a way to land safely?"

"Nope," Josh replied. "I do remember that our morphed states can survive a fall at terminal velocity, so my plan is to morph if these things don't slow down soon."

"Do you think we should morph now then?"

"I think it would be better to wait until we get inside the atmosphere." Josh replied. "I'm not certain, but I think we're still being guided by the drill, if we morph I'm not sure if that would interfere with anything."

"You're probably right," Kimberly replied with a sigh.

The two of them drifted along for several minutes, the Earth quickly growing bigger, consuming their fields of vision.

"I wish I could have seen the moon from out here," Kimberly remarked.

"Yeah," Josh agreed. "It must be on the other side of the planet."

The sleds began to rattle as the forward tips began to glow with dull red light.

"Looks like we're entering the atmosphere," Josh said.

"See you on the ground," Kimberly replied as the sleds rotated for entry as a series of lights on the small panel inside began to flash.

"Looks like they did have this scenario covered, I guess I shouldn't have cut Alex off,"

"I'm still glad you did," she replied.

Deep beneath the surface, where Angel Grove once stood, Furio marched purposefully down a long tunnel. As he passed luminescent beetles scurried over the walls and ceiling providing a constantly shifting light source. A pack of Sweepers moved passed his feet, the small insects, little more than a pair of mandibles with legs, carrying the husk of a dead beetle in their jaws.

Passing by another branch in the tunnel a lumbering worker came to a halt waiting for him to pass before the massive Vora began heading down the tunnel Furio had come from. Moving along, the dimly lit cavern became ever more expansive as the floor sank down and two smaller diversion tunnels ran off to the left and right sinking deep into the earth.

Two massive doors fashioned by the workers, smooth and polished with elaborate spirals and ridges worked throughout became visible in the pale light. Several Sting Wings stepped forward seemingly materializing from the darkness, their mandibles clacking together as they made a series of clicking sounds.

"Stand aside," Furio demanded. "I bring word to the Queen."

The Sting Wings receded into the shadows pressing up against the walls and blending back in with the strange textures. Slowly the doors opened, a warm moist breeze washed over Furio as he stepped through the breech, the doors closing behind him.

The room was dark and muggy, the perfect conditions for incubation. The walls and floor were covered by an intricate network of cells, each one carrying a sickly yellow egg or a small larval form.

"Beautiful aren't they?" a feminine voice came from the far end of the room.

"Indeed," Furio agreed as he paused to watch the drones attending to the developing Vora before proceeding.

"You have news?"

"Yes my Queen." Furio replied kneeling gazing into the darkness before him. "A spatial distortion was detected above the planet."

"A hyperspace fold?"

"I do not believe so my Queen. However, something has come to our world."

"Where?"

"Near our eastern fringe."

"Investigate the matter,"

"But my Queen, the surface of the eastern fringe is controlled by the…"

"Yes, I know, those beasts," she replied cutting him off. "No matter, send Treacheron and a scouting party of Rakani, they should be able to uncover the truth."

"Yes my Queen," Furio replied rising and departing from the chamber.

The Palace of Skulls sat solemnly towering over the scorched earth below. In its shadow the withered forms of men and women toiled over arcane carvings and icons. Taskmasters with burning heptagrams in their foreheads watched them, the Fiends burning blades and whips twitching, anxious for any excuse to cut down the miserable creatures. Pits lay open beyond the workers full of bloated and decaying bodies, little more than food for the maggots that swarmed over them.

High atop the tower a lithe figure stood on a balcony concealed in a midnight blue cloak, the cowl hung low concealing the face, a subtle blue mist drifting from beneath the hood. The creature suddenly froze; then ever so slowly directed its gaze at the sky scanning the heavens. Abruptly it turned and hurried back into the palace.

"Did you feel that," a raspy woman's voice came from beneath the hood, a trail of blue mist drifting out into the air.

A golden form stirred on a throne built from human skulls, his eyes opened burning with a deep crimson light. Slowly he rose to his feet taking his golden staff from its resting place next to the throne, the metal scrapping against the bone as it was removed from its holder. A burning heptagram lit on the floor before him illuminating the great black pillars that encircled the room and the tattered banners that were strung between them; the runes written in blood barely perceivable against the tanned, tattered flesh on which they were written.

"Indeed I did," Diabolico replied rising from his throne. "Asmodai!"

"Yes, Lord Diabolico," a demon replied as he entered the room and knelt before the throne. His voice was like the scrapping of coarse stones.

Asmodai was slightly larger than Diabolico; his black muscular flesh was illuminated by fiery veins that ran over his body. A pair of arms spring from each shoulder, the hands covered in brass talons, the gauntlets etched with infernal runes. The twisted talons on his bare feet curled with anticipation. A pair of S-curved blades were sheathed on his back, the hilts made from bone. The harness for his weapons ran in a cross over his chest, and he wore a mix of brass plate and mail that ran from his waist to his knees. His head rose, three pairs of pale yellow eyes fixed on Diabolico. His eyes were formed in two triangular patterns on his face, and his lipless mouth showed his pointed teeth.

"Something has intruded upon my world, it is headed for the Fallen City, go there and destroy it."

"Yes my Lord," Asmodai replied rising to his feet.

The demon crossed his arms over his chest as giant flaming wings burst from his back curling around him, consuming his form. As the flames were suddenly snuffed out, the last embers drifted into the air leaving no trace of the demon.

"Are you sure it is wisest to send him alone?" the cloaked figure asked.

"Asmodai is strong," Diabolico replied. "But more than that he is cunning, he will not rush into battle without first analyzing his opponent."

Josh and Kimberly watched as dust flew up into the air, consuming their sleds in a thick cloud as the Tachyon Bore slammed into the ground sending out a shockwave in every direction. The sleds rattled as they slid through the wave of destruction using a modified Mu Drive, suddenly slowing for a landing; the bases sank a foot into the ground sending more dust into the air as Kimberly and Josh's harness shook, dispersing most of the force. The fields surrounding the sleds flickered and faded away leaving Josh and Kimberly in a thick cloud of dust.

Josh unfastened his harness and stepped down out of his sled, the firm ground under his feet a welcome sensation. He could barely perceive the silhouette of Kimberly's sled through the thick brown haze. He slowly moved forward, carefully feeling out the ground. Drawing closer he could make out Kimberly's form as she stepped down from the sled. Josh reached out for her hand taking hold of it.

"So where do we go from here?" Kimberly asked over the com system.

"I imagine we've got a climb ahead of us, this is probably the bottom of a descent sized crater. I think our best bet is to pick a single direction and move in it until we're out."

"Lead the way,"

"Alright, let's take it slow, I can't see the ground," Josh said as the two began to walk away from the sleds.

"Billy,"

"What is it?" Billy responded as he turned from a computer terminal to face Zordon.

The old wizard was adorned in his ceremonial Eltarian armor, a light plate variant of the combat armor, but still offering some protection while providing greater mobility. Trey's Gold Ranger Staff hung from his belt.

Billy wore a black jacket and pants uniform like Zhane's but with a blue undershirt. The belt on his waist held his Morpher; the outer shell had been refinished in silver and shone with the reflected light from the instrument panels around the marble room.

"I sense a presence, two actually, out in the wasteland."

"Human?"

"Yes,"

"Probably more escaped prisoners from the Black Kingdom, where are they right now?"

"Let me see if I can locate them more precisely," Zordon replied as he closed his eyes and concentrated. "They are… above the eastern fringe of the Vora's main hive." Zordon said gravely.

"That's controlled by the Orgs!" Billy said turning toward the door raising his left arm up and activating his communicator. "We have survivors in the wasteland; I need any available Rangers to meet me at the Gateway now."

"Where are we?" Josh asked looking around at the ruins through the dust that still hung in the air, the strong wind doing little to disperse it. "It looks like a subway station, but it's above ground."

"It is, or was," Kimberly replied pointing at the side of one of the cars. "Look,"

Through the dust field and the rust Josh could just make out the words 'Angel Grove'. Weathering seemed to have worn away the rest, and even the words that remained were hard to make out.

"This was part of the Angel Grove Subway System." Kimberly said. "I can't believe it, it really is all gone."

"What could have happened here?" Josh asked shaking his head as he scanned around him.

"It's like a bad dream,"

Through the dust neither one noticed the subtle movement as the subway train began to twitch, the sound of metal twisting became slowly more audible. The front of the train started to contort as the broken window frames twisted into menacing eyes as a dark presence filled the holes, creating a deep void. Suddenly the front shattered as the metal tore into jaws filled with cruel metal teeth. With a deafening roar the train reared up into the air like a snake. Josh turned in time to see it strike, bearing down on the two of them. As if by reflex he pushed Kimberly aside and dove clear as the monstrosity's head slammed into the ground sending a spray of dirt into the air completely concealing its form.

Josh rolled into a crouching position and pulled his pistol from its harness firing several rounds into the haze. Sections of the dust cloud lit red as the bolts detonated against the creature. Before Josh had time to evaluate the situation the train burst from the cloud along the ground, headed straight at him. Josh tried to roll clear, but the train clipped his leg as it raced passed sending him flailing to the ground. The pain in his leg was intense, but it didn't feel like anything was broken. With a deep breath through his clenched teeth Josh holstered his pistol and slid his hand over the dragon icon on his Morpher.

"DNA locked," a voice responded. "Morpher Online,"

Josh's body began to glow as the Ranger armor pattern began to form over his body in a deep midnight blue. Jagged gold lines like tears ran down the outside of his arms, torso, and legs as deep forest green bracers appeared over his arms covering his Morpher. Black boots formed over his feet with dark green rims around the top. Golden imagery appeared in the center of his chest of a dragon's body, its wings spreading up and over the shoulders and meeting in the center of his back. After it, a shield formed over the upper body, a diamond shape manifesting over the chest in a dark metallic green, the inside of which was carved with the dragon's body as the wings took solid form stretching over the shoulders and around the black neck guard, joining in the back over the imagery. The tips of his dark blue gloves extended slightly into talons as a black belt formed around his waist. The center of the belt had a circular icon depicting the dragon and phoenix in a yin-yang formation, the dragon was displayed in a deep metallic green while the phoenix was in gold. A helmet formed over his head, the dark visor having only a hint of purple sheen formed into a fanged maw as jagged crests rose from the side of the helmet in gold sweeping back. The morphing process completed as lightning flashed in his visor and swirling clouds of deep purple became visible for an instant. Josh could feel the power surging through his body as information flooded his mind.

The train suddenly came rushing at him again from out of the thick dust field. Josh stepped back with his right foot, widening his stance as he brought his right arm back. The train seemed to be moving at a much slower speed, in fact, everything seemed to be moving at a crawl. He could feel his heart beating in his chest as the train drew closer to him, its jaws opening wide to devour him. With a shout he thrust his arm forward at the twisted metal face on the front of the train. As his arm raced forward he could almost see a field of energy surrounding the beast racing out to meet him. His arm stopped as he twitched slightly, drawing back until the energy began to recede back into the monster.

Josh could only guess at what was happening and plunged his fist forward toward the retreating field of energy. As his fist struck the front of the metal body above its mouth he could sense the field of energy around the creature distort. With renewed confidence he continued through his swing, running his arm through the body, nearly to his own shoulder.

Then the train body began to tear and twist as a shockwave began moving through it, growing in intensity with each passing second. Suddenly a blast of purple energy lashed out from his arm like a torrent of lightning that danced over the train body. All of a sudden the train exploded into thousands of fragments as the dust cloud was blown away by the force of his strike letting the sun shine down from the blue sky, thunder echoing all around him.

Josh froze for a moment, awe struck by his own power as he watched the metal fragments fall to the ground all around him, a low rumble of thunder echoed as lightning flashed in his visor again.

"That was incredible!" Kimberly shouted as she began running toward Josh.

Josh turned to face her as he powered down. With the air cleared for the moment he touched the pad on his neck, his helmet breaking apart and receding into his suit.

"Are you okay?" Josh asked.

"I'm fine," Kimberly replied deactivating her helmet. "What did you do to that thing?"

"I'm not sure," Josh replied looking at his hand. "Everything was moving really slow, and then there was something weird around that creature, some kind of energy, I couldn't see it, but I could sense it, sort of a feeling, I just went with that feeling and boom, it exploded."

"I wonder if my powers are that good,"

"Well they said you have a slightly higher compatibility than me, so it would make sense that you should do better. I'm more concerned with what that thing was; it sure didn't look like anything from the Machine Empire, at least not like anything that was on the news."

"It was like the subway train just came to life, I've never seen anything like it." Kimberly replied. "At least not outside of sorcery and magic."

"Well, we better keep moving, and make sure we stay away from machines."

"Which way now?"

Josh looked around trying to get his bearings. The fight had made him lose all sense of what direction they had been heading in, and since this was the first time he could see clearly landmarks weren't helping, not that there was much more than rubble around him.

"I think that's the crater back there," Josh said pointing at part of a mound of dirt just barely visible beyond some rubble.

"If I could see the mountains I'd be able to figure out where the Command Center is," Kimberly said looking around, the dust still obscuring distant objects like fog. "Strange,"

"What?" Josh asked.

"It feels a little cold for summer doesn't it?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it," Josh replied looking around more. "This isn't getting us anywhere," he sighed pressing the pad on his collar, activating his helmet. As the lenses formed over his eyes he began issuing verbal commands. "Compass, direction finder, guidance,"

"What are you doing?" Kimberly asked.

"Trying to see if this thing has a compass, it was built for survival on hostile worlds, so it must have some form of navigation system."

"Navigation System activated," a computerized voice replied as marks appeared on his lenses.

Josh began rotating, watching the marks change as a number in the corner indicated degrees of rotation. "Let's see,"

"You got it working?" Kimberly asked.

"Yeah, just trying to find north, I guess that would be zero degrees, which way were the mountains?"

"East,"

"So if I turn to my right the numbers go up, so east would be…" he started slowly rotating to his right. "Right there. Navigation system off,"

"Navigation System deactivated,"

"Okay," Josh said pointing as he removed his helmet. "We go that way."

Kimberly came alongside him, locking her arm around his. As the couple began to move away six sinister eyes watched them with disdain before vanishing in a whirlwind of flame.

In the wastelands a shimmering white portal opened amid the dust storm as the Blue Ranger, Green Time Force Ranger, and Quantum Ranger emerged. As the portal closed behind them Billy paused, looking around for a moment, switching through his visual modes looking for any sign of people.

"I'm not picking up anything," Billy said.

"Me either," Tommy replied. "This dust storm is going to make it hard to find anyone."

"Hopefully it will make them harder to locate for the enemy as well," Trip replied.

The three Rangers began moving forward in a search pattern, keeping the distance between them short. After several minutes of walking Billy picked up a faint energy signature on his HUD.

"I've got something," Billy announced.

"What is it?" Trip shouted trying to be heard over the wind.

"Some kind of energy signature, it's pretty weak; though we probably should investigate."

"I agree," Tommy replied. "Maybe it will give us a clue."

The three Rangers began to move quickly, but cautiously toward the energy signature; their enhanced vision mode making the low visibility of the dust storm less significant.

"I recognize this energy signature," Trip said, a degree of excitement in his voice.

"What is it?" Billy asked.

"These are Tachyon Particles!" Trip replied. "Someone has broken through the quantum barrier!"

"Let's not get too excited before we find out who," Billy cautioned.

The Rangers reached the edge of a crater and began sliding down the high slope.

"This explains the dust storm," Tommy said.

"It looks like something crashed here," Billy replied pulling his blaster as he continued to descend.

Through the dust two objects became visible at the base of the crater, two wire frames; the harness straps blowing in the wind as the metal buckles rang against the frames. As they got closer Billy realized the energy signature was coming from under the metal frames.

Trip moved over to the two frames and began to look them over before finding small boxes bolted onto either side of the shell.

"Look at this!" Trip shouted unable to contain his excitement as he grabbed Billy and pulled him over to the box.

Billy moved his head in looking at the box closely. "Where is it?"

"Right there on the bottom," he said pointing.

"Isn't that interesting," Billy replied.

"What is it?" Tommy asked.

"It's the emblem of Time Force," Billy replied.

"They must have gotten our message after all!" Trip shouted jumping into the air.

"Why did they only send two people though?" Tommy asked.

"I'm not sure," Billy replied. "But we need to find them." He raised his communicator. "Andros, are you there?" There was no response. "Must be out of range. Kimberly, are you there?"

"I'm a little busy at the moment," she replied over the communicator, a degree of stress in her voice, the buzzing of insects was clearly audible.

A series of noises followed, Kimberly shouting, the cracking of carapace, and several high pitched screams.

"Okay, now, what do you need?" she replied a little out of breath.

"I have good and bad news. Good news is it looks like we may have some visitors from Time Force, the bad news is they're in the wastelands and we're not sure where. We need you to get the rest of the team and meet us out here; we'll keep looking in the meantime."

"Right, I'll hurry," she replied ending the transmission.

"Let's move," Billy said.

Asmodai materialized at the entrance to the throne room, the banners fluttering in the wind created by the swirling mass of flame. Stepping forward to the center of the heptagram he knelt, not lifting his head.

"What have you to report?" Diabolico asked, his emotionless words breaking the still silence.

"It seems that at least one of the two intruders is a Power Ranger, and a powerful one at that." Asmodai replied. "He destroyed an Org with a single blow."

"What?" Diabolico replied, the tone in his voice changing to one of great interest.

From the shadows Loki stepped forward on Diabolico's right, his wings twitching slightly. His gaze was fixed on Asmodai.

"What did this Ranger look like?" Loki asked, a slight snarl in his tone.

"I've never seen this one before; he wore dark colors and had dragon icons on his armor."

"Do you think it could be him?" Loki asked turning to Diabolico.

"I do not know," Diabolico growled. "But if it is, he could potentially ruin everything. Shiva, Ifrit,"

"Yes, Lord Diabolico," two females in cloaks replied entering the room, one in midnight blue, the other in a deep crimson.

As they knelt they removed their hoods. Both had deep gray skin, black lips with pointed ears, and small horns rising upward from the sides of their foreheads. Shiva's eyes were nothing more than vacant pools of icy white complimented by short, wild, light blue hair. Her counterpart, Ifrit, had shoulder length hair in a deep fiery pink and dark red eyes.

"I want you to go as my emissaries to the Org master, tell him about the new Ranger, and inform him that the Black Kingdom would like to arrange a temporary alliance."

"Yes Lord Diabolico," they replied in unison as they rose, covering their heads once again.

"Asmodai," Diabolico began as Shiva and Ifrit turned to leave. "Continue to observe these individuals, but do not engage them until I give you permission."

"Yes Lord Diabolico," Asmodai replied as he vanished in a torrent of fire.

"This is a troubling development," Loki said. "If he really has come back from the dead…"

"Calm yourself Loki," Diabolico replied raising a hand. "If he has indeed risen again we may be able to use him to strike down our enemies for us. After all, unlike Lord Zedd he has a genuine interest in the welfare of his fellow humans, and that is a weakness we can exploit."

Josh and Kimberly continued to walk hand in hand through the light haze toward the mountain range in the distance. The dust storm had begun to die down making it easier to see, though this was not of much comfort to Josh. If he could see further, so could anything that might be watching them, and there was little cover. The foundations of houses littered the shattered asphalt and concrete for miles in every direction, in places dead clumps of grass dotted the cracks in the street.

"It's so eerie," Kimberly said looking around.

"I think it would be creepier if all the houses were still standing," Josh replied before adding. "Not that it would be better by much." he paused for a moment.

"What is it?" Kimberly asked.

Josh put his finger up to his lips and continued to listen for a moment. "I think something might be following us." He said.

"You can hear them?" she asked.

"No, that's what bothers me," Josh replied. "But I can almost feel them. Just stay alert."

Kimberly nodded as the two continued to walk on in silence. Josh slowly turning his head to the left and the right as they walked intently listening for any noise from the unwelcome guest or guests, but he couldn't hear anything, in fact, as he thought about it, he couldn't hear anything at all beyond the light rushing of the dying wind. He wasn't sure he had even seen another living thing since they arrived, unless of course he counted that strange monster. What was that thing anyway? The Machine Empire had been a race of humanoid robots, but that thing, it was more like a snake. Was it possible the Machine Empire had other life forms on their own world?

"I thought I just saw something move," Kimberly whispered to Josh snapping him back to the moment.

"Where?" Josh asked quietly keeping his composure.

"Behind us, on the left, it was pretty low to the ground."

"How far away?"

"Maybe twenty feet," she replied.

"When I say 'go' I want you to drop down and watch my back,"

Josh's breathing started to synchronize with his steps, his hand moving slightly closer to his pistol with each swing of his arms. As his right arm started to swing forward his breathing stopped. He gripped the weapon pulling it from his holster.

"Go," he said exhaling his held breath.

Kimberly dropped to the ground as Josh turned in the direction Kimberly had indicated and opened fire putting several rounds into the concrete foundations of the nearby houses, the plasma bolts tearing through the material with ease. As one of the bolts pierced the concrete Josh detected a shrill cry, a high pitched wail, almost outside his hearing range. He fired several more shots through the wall as he started to advance.

"Keep me covered," Josh shouted.

Kimberly rose and began stepping backwards, scanning from left to right as Josh continued to advance, firing into the concrete. A piece of material flew up into the air from behind the concrete, having the rough form of a scythe. Suddenly Kimberly caught movement from the corner of her eye.

"Look out!" Kimberly shouted as she turned toward her left firing several shots into a long flat creature as it flew through the air toward Josh.

Josh turned to see the creature flying at him, it's wide, jagged body twisted in the air as a dozen scythe-like limbs unfurled. Two bolts from Kimberly's pistol pierced its insect-like carapace putting tennis ball sized holes in the shell, but it continued undaunted. Josh dropped his pistol and ran his hand over the band on his arm. A deep blue light blazed for a moment as the massive form of the creature crashed down on top of him.

"Josh!" Kimberly screamed as she started to rush forward holstering her pistol.

Her right hand went to her left arm as she prepared to morph, suddenly the insect exploded in a flurry of dark chitin and thick yellow sludge. Josh rose through the spray of debris, lightning danced over his body as flakes of sinew cooked off his armor and fell to the ground. Steam wafted from his body as body fluids evaporated in the heat. Kimberly quickly rushed to his side.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he said placing a hand on her shoulder as he looked around. "I don't see anymore of them,"

"What do you think they were?"

"If I had to guess I'd say they were part of Scorpius and Trakeena's army, most likely scouts," Josh replied as his body reverted to normal. "I want to make sure the other one over there is really dead," he said retrieving his pistol from the ground.

Cautiously he began to advance toward the blasted foundation, his weapon trained just above the top of the concrete. Slowly something came into view. Rows of dark armor plating ran over the ground forming something somewhat reminiscent of a centipede, but nearly seven or eight feet in length. Tucked under the body were several more limbs, which Josh could only assume had been the scythed limbs he saw on the other creature.

"Is it dead?" Kimberly asked coming closer to Josh.

Josh pointed the pistol toward the head of the creature and fired three bolts into the back of the chitinous mass. Sizzling liquid splattered over the ground and against the concrete partition. The body suddenly slumped as Kimberly uttered a short scream.

"I'm sure it is now," Josh replied retuning his pistol to its holster. "Let's keep moving,"

Josh and Kimberly began to move on, their steps fading into the distance as Treacheron stood behind them watching them go. Three Rakani stirred at his feet. Treacheron began making a series of clicking sounds with his mandibles. The Rakani quickly dispersed, moving off toward Josh and Kimberly. Treacheron remained for a moment as if contemplating something before stepping back, fading into the light haze of dust and vanishing.

In the broken remains of Lord Zedd's capital a fierce wind swept through the rubble of the once great city. Amid the twisted remains the mangled bodies of Cogs and Quantrons hung from the rocks and lay scattered on the ground below. The volcanic remains of Putties littered the ground beneath the twisted metal as the shattered remains of chitinous plates danced over the silent battlefield in the torrent of wind and dust like leaves.

A single Cog hung suspended by a few strands of wire connecting its upper and lower body, the legs crushed in a pile of debris as the torso swung in the wind. The left arm dangled loosely, the metal endoskeleton broken just above the elbow joint. A sudden gust caught the Cog, pulling it up into the air before it slammed back down into the side of the rubble; the few wires that held it tearing lose as the torso fell to the ground below. As the Cog hit the ground flatly systems were jarred back into operation. Power reactivated as the limited auto-repair system began to initialize. Slowly the Cog's other systems began to come online.

"Where am I?"

Images flashed through his mind, the Power Rangers, the Gold Ranger, a series of bright flashes, a burst of brilliant red light, then, nothing.

"What was that?"

"Memories," another voice replied.

"Of what?"

"The past,"

"Who are you?"

"I'm the one who saved us,"

"But, who are you?"

"I'm you…"

A dull crimson glow emanating from beneath Ifrit's cloak lit the moist walls of the cave in a pale crimson as the two figures slowly advanced deeper into the darkness, Shiva's footfalls crystallizing the moisture on the stones. Ifrit pulled her hood back; her fiery pink hair had a slight luminance in the darkened space. All around her she felt as if the walls were watching her, though given the nature of the Orgs it would not have surprised her if it were true. Suddenly Shiva held out an arm stopping her. Ifrit froze, her eyes dancing around the room, she could feel it too; they weren't alone.

Shiva and Ifrit leapt from the ground as twin daggers flew out of the darkness behind them. Ifrit turned, sending a blast of fire from her hand into the shadows toward a pair of glowing yellow eyes, but as the darkness receded the figure vanished. Shiva landed and quickly erected a dome of ice around her body as swirling blast of violet light flew from the shadows. The barrier exploded sending shards swirling around the room in a torrent of destruction. Ifrit scanned the room as shards hit her cloak, immediately flash boiling into vapor.

"We're not here to fight," Ifrit called out into the darkness, her voice roaring like fire. "We bring a message from our master; we've come to offer information and a temporary alliance."

Silence filled the chamber. The two demons braced themselves for another attack.

"Proceed," a booming voice came from the depths of the cave, its power shaking the earth and reverberating throughout the cave to deafening levels.

Ifrit cast a sidelong glance at Shiva who nodded in response. The two demons continued into the depths of the cave.

Wind rushed up around Taylor's body and she fell toward the Earth, her body inverted as she twirled and spun haphazardly through the air. She was clad in her Wild Force armor, her helmet removed as her hair flailed around her head as she continued to plummet toward the scorched earth far below. Her eyes were closed as she drifted on the wind currents, spreading her arms wide as she inhaled deeply.

Suddenly her eyes snapped open as she brought her arms in and turned into the fall before spreading her arms again as large feathery wings unfurled from her limbs. In a flash she had pulled out from her dive and shot into the sky her arms flapped, giving her more lift as she climbed back toward the floating land mass in the sky.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," Max said as she landed back on solid ground. "It makes me nervous."

Taylor smiled as she reverted to her human form, her yellow jacket over a pair of worn training fatigues. Max wore a matching blue jacket over a tattered black shirt and a pair of jeans with tattered holes at the knees. Danny was sitting to Max's left gazing quietly down, over the edge of the small floating nation. He was dressed like Max, with torn jeans and an old dingy white shirt.

"These days it's the only thing I can do to really feel any sense of peace." She replied looking up on the mountain tops where her great yellow eagle sat perched.

"You should be thankful that Princess Shayla came for us when she did," Max replied. "Otherwise we would have ended up like everyone else."

"I get that we were saved Max," Taylor replied her tone taking a sharp edge. "But it's not much consolation when you consider what we survived to see." She turned back toward the open sky. "Everyday the Earth dies a little more, we're fighting a losing battle here, between the Vora, the Black Kingdom, and the Orgs it's a wonder we've lasted this long."

"You think we should have just given up?" Max asked.

"No," Taylor said defensively. "It's just, I don't know; it's just hard to fight a war we can't possibly win."

"That's what the other Rangers thought before we showed up," Danny said still staring off into the distance.

"That's right," Max added. "Their Zords were useless when the Orgs invaded, if it weren't for us…"

"I know," Taylor replied, a little annoyed. "Whole cities would have been destroyed before anyone could escape, I know, I get it."

"What you do means much to many people," Cole said, the words clear despite his heavy African accent as he stepped out from the woods beyond them. His head was bald, his eyebrows and eyelashes gone, his red jacket hung over a gray body suit.

Taylor stared into his eyes for a moment, the deep passion and sincerity reflected back conveyed more than his words could. Taylor smiled softly as she nodded in response. Cole hadn't been as lucky as her and the others. Because his village elder had possession of his Red Lion Orb when the attack had occurred Princess Shayla had been unable to locate him before Lord Zedd had conquered the world. Though Cole and his village had been fortunate enough to be processed instead of being exterminated, his time spent in Lord Zedd's service had been hard. Many from his village had been worked to death prior of Lord Zedd's defeat, then the insect warriors of the Vora had come. It was during this time that Cole received the Red Lion Orb and was located by Princess Shayla.

In exchange for his help Princess Shayla allowed the survivors of his village to live with them in Animaria along with other refugees that had been saved from the ruined planet. Saving those who survived Lord Zedd's attack, humans, animals, and plants had been the sole job of the Wild Force members as Princess Shayla refused to unlock their Ranger powers until the Org invasion several years later.

Things with Cole had been trying during this time, his broken English and heavy accent being the biggest barriers to communicating with him, but as time had gone on she had found him to be a strong individual with a real heart for all life, of course it had helped that his English had improved as well. One thing she still did not understand however is why he continued to wear his slave suit, as they had come to be known. While she knew of their efficiency and durability they were a symbol of the oppression of Lord Zedd, even the most dedicated survivalists and military personnel, what few that had survived, were quick to discard and destroy them and yet Cole and chosen to keep his.

"So Cole, any news on that falling light we saw earlier?" Max asked.

"Yes," Cole replied. "Princess Shayla would like to see all of us,"

"Let's go then," Taylor replied.

Max and Danny slowly rose to their feet and followed Cole and Taylor back into the woods toward the heart of the floating island.

Ifrit and Shiva entered the throne room of Master Org. The cavernous space was poorly lit by several pyres burning on the left and right of the isle that led up to the throne. The crudely cut stone seat was occupied by a large menacing figure, twisted horns rose from his back as a series of mouths situated around his clavicles smiled cruelly. His hardened body was half dark and half light in color, his limbs covered in scales. A single large horn rose from the forehead of his darkened face. Two burning yellow points stared back at the two demons. On his left and right two more pairs of eyes glowed from the darkness behind his throne, the faces of both figures dimly visible in the shadows, the large single horns stretching from the top of their heads the more prominent feature.

A dark aura radiated from Master Org's body in streams of black that seeped along the floor like tentacles. Small stones along the ground moved quietly in the streams, vacant stares and fanged mouths present on their smooth surfaces. In the corners larger piles of rocks moved, their forms held together by a deep violet sludge as they moved along the ground like slugs.

The two demons knelt in false humility, Master Org smirked, unimpressed by the meaningless attempt at respect.

"Speak," he commanded, his booming voice shaking the cavern, dust raining down around them like a mist.

"Lord Diabolico of the Black Kingdom has sent us to provide the great Master Org with information and an offer of alliance." Ifrit began.

"It seems that two powerful warriors have come to our world," Shiva continued. "We have witnessed one of them destroy an Org with a single blow."

"And what is the life of a single Org?" Master Org replied.

"It is not the value of the Org," Ifrit said. "But the power of the warrior that is of interest."

"This one bares a resemblance to the one who destroyed Lord Zedd and brought the Empire to a bitter end." Shiva added.

"We believe these two have come to aid Zordon's Rangers," Ifrit said.

"And what does Diabolico think he can offer me?" he asked.

"Lord Diabolico wishes to form a temporary alliance," Ifrit began.

"Really more of an agreement to end hostilities between our kingdoms," Shiva added.

"Until both the Rangers and the Vora are crushed." Ifrit finished.

"While the Vora are of some small concern to me, why should I care about your Ranger problems? I have Rangers of my own to contend with."

"These new Rangers are as much a threat to you as they are to us. If we should fall it will only be a matter of time before all the Rangers are at the doorstep of your own dominion." Ifrit replied.

Master Org was silent for a moment. "Very well," he said at last. "Go and tell your Lord I will accept his offer, but on one condition." Ifrit and Shiva waited with interest. "He has in his possession an artifact that I desire the use of."

"May we know which one?" Shiva asked.

"The Lunar Glaive," Master Org replied. "Provide me with it and you shall have your alliance."

"We shall return with our Lord's answer." Ifrit replied as she and Shiva rose and vanished in a swirl of fire and mist.

"I can't believe it," Kimberly said staring out over the valley.

As far as she could see from the mountain side there was nothing but open ground, nothing was left of Angel Grove, Stone Canyon, or any of the other surrounding cities.

"I thought maybe it was just Angel Grove," she said. "But it looks like everything is gone."

"We don't know that," Josh said. "This is only part of Southern California, there could still be cities left, there's so much more world out there; islands even, that would make excellent strongholds against some of the creatures we've seen."

"I'm not so sure," Kimberly said. "That thing that we fought earlier, the subway train, I don't know what that was, but if the enemy has the power to animate anything then there isn't anywhere on Earth that couldn't be reached."

"I've been thinking about that," Josh said as he turned away from the barren valley and began climbing again. "You remember the incident in Turtle Cove a week or two ago?"

"Are you talking about the amateur video of those four Rangers?" she asked as she started moving up the mountainside again.

"Yeah,"

"What about them?"

"It's not them so much as the sketchy reports and the blurred footage of what they were fighting,"

There was a pause, but Kimberly wasn't following where he was going with this.

"The strange creatures, one that looked like a jet turbine engine and one that looked like a high voltage transformer." He continued. "I don't know if you were home when I saw the other report a day before, but there was an airport technician that claimed a turbine had suddenly come to life and nearly killed him."

"I remember something about that," she replied. "Wasn't he moved to the psychiatric ward for observation?"

"Yeah," Josh replied. "But what if he wasn't crazy?"

"So it's something like Rita and Lord Zedd where they'd turn something into a monster?"

"Maybe," Josh replied. "But I get the feeling that it might be tied to what was going on when we left our own time. This is still two thousand two after all."

"But this isn't our world," Kimberly replied. "We don't have anyway of knowing how things went here. It doesn't look like the Terra Venture project ever went forward."

"Or maybe it did," Josh replied considering her words. "Maybe they evacuated the planet."

"Do you really think so?"

"I'm just guessing, hoping really," Josh replied. "But, I can't shake the feeling that there are still plenty of connections between this world and ours, but I can't prove it. Until we find the other Rangers we have no way of knowing what happened."

"I hope they're still here," Kimberly replied.

"Me too," Josh said looking at the top of the mountain. "Me too, but what I'm more concerned with is the setting sun, I didn't think we'd been out so long."

"I don't think we have," Kimberly replied.

"I'd kill for a wrist watch right now," Josh said pulling himself up on top of another rocky outcropping. "Something about all this just doesn't make any sense."

"Wasn't the moon close to being full?"

"I don't remember," Josh replied reaching down to help her up. "I'm just hoping I can figure out how to activate the night vision on this suit when I need it."

"At least the dust cleared up," Kimberly replied with a smile.

"True," Josh replied not noticing the small cables hanging out a hole in the rocks twitch slightly. "At least something is finally going right."

"It looks like they came this way," Tommy said kicking the body of a dead Rakani, knocking it on its back; thick blood pooling up from the wounds as it hit the ground.

"Did they survive though?" Trip asked.

"What?" Tommy asked stooping down to examine the blast marks in the concrete.

"There's a few more trails in the dust, I'd say at least two, maybe three more of those things."

"I don't know," Billy said. "But I think I know where they're headed."

"Oh?" Trip asked looking around for any more evidence.

"Based on the general direction I'd say they're heading for the Command Center, or more precisely, where the Command Center use to be."

"Then they're walking into a trap," Trip said.

"We have to gate there and stop them," Tommy said standing up.

"If we use the gate it'll just draw everything to us." Billy replied.

"So what do you suggest?" Tommy asked.

"The jet bikes," Billy replied.

"We run a definite risk of Org possession if we take those in there." Trip replied gravely.

"I know," Billy replied. "But I can't think of a better option." He paused for a moment as Tommy and Trip nodded in agreement. "Hopefully some of the other Rangers will be available to help." He added raising his communicator.

Diabolico sat patiently as Ifrit and Shiva knelt, relaying the brief conversation they had with Master Org. A smirk crossed his face as he heard the sole condition the Org god had given.

"Give it to him," Diabolico replied. "But, make sure he is bound to the contract first."

Ifrit and Shiva nodded and departed from the room.

"My Lord," Loki said softly. "Without it we will be unable to bring Queen Bansheera back."

"We have millennia until the next alignment," Diabolico replied. "Besides, at this point it is irrelevant. If events work out as I have foreseen, I will soon have the power to rip open the Ranger's last bastion of hope and crush all those who oppose us. We no longer need the Queen."

The Cog began to pull itself across the rough ground using its rebuilt arms. The recovery process had taken a shorter period of time with the remote activation of all the dormant nanobots within a two meter radius. He still wasn't sure how this other presence in his head had managed to achieve this feat, but at least he was one step closer to being complete again.

"We need to find a suitable pair of legs to attach to this frame," it said.

"I can still only see out of one eye," he replied.

"That's because I'm using the other one,"

"You still haven't told me who you are, or for that matter who I am."

"If it's that important you can be Gokmen and I'll be Maro, can we get back to work now?"

"But who am I Maro?"

"If you would simply follow directions we can get your memory back and that will be more helpful than the days it would take me to fill in a fraction of the gap, I have no direct control over the body so you have to stay focused, alright?"

"Alright," Gokmen replied. "But are those really our names?"

"No, but I can't risk that you might awaken the memory fragments you have before you get the rest back, it could destroy us both, and I doubted you'd be satisfied with a unit designation, so please stop asking questions and just look." Maro replied, stress in his voice.

"What about that one over there?" Gokmen asked pointing toward a virtually intact Cog lying on the ground.

"I think that might work."

Gokmen pulled himself closer propping his torso up using his hands as he surveyed the damage. There was a single blast hole in the upper chest cavity. The hexagonal grid armor was melted into a solid piece around the hole and the rest of the tiny plates looked as if their magnetic charge was ready to expire the way the surface twitched in the wind like cloth.

"This will definitely work," Maro said. "Pull the armor back and sever the spine at the fourth node."

Gokmen reached out his hand into the Cog's body, the magnetic armor plates parting like a thick film floating on water revealing the endoskeletal structure. The upper part of the faceplate rose as Gokmen prepared to cut through the body.

"As you have requested, we have returned with the Lunar Glaive," Shiva replied as she extended her open palms holding the weapon out before Master Org; one of the Orgs, clad in blue armor, having an almost insect-like look to it, stepped forward.

"But before we give it to you, our Lord asks that you accept his treaty," Ifrit replied raising a medallion which resembled two interlocking stone serpents.

Slowly Master Org reached out and took hold of the talisman. In a flash of red light the snakes suddenly sprang to life. One coiled around Master Org's arm, the other vanished. The two Orgs stepped forward raising their weapons as they came between the demons and Master Org.

"This charm will do nothing so long as you honor the agreement," Ifrit said quickly. "The other serpent is now bound to our Lord to ensure you will both honor your word."

The two Orgs looked back at their master. Master Org's face contorted for a moment before he nodded and motioned to the Org in blue who stepped forward and took the glaive from Shiva's hand.

"Our contract is completed," Master Org's voice boomed, "Now leave me,"

Ifrit and Shiva nodded and vanished.

"You don't really trust them do you?" Toxica asked holding out the Lunar Glaive to her master.

"No," Master Org replied, summoning one of the sludge creatures from the corner.

The small composite of slime and stone sat before him jostling slightly as it waited.

"So what are you going to do?" Jindrax asked.

Without responding Master Org reached up to the shoulder of the arm that held the infernal charm. Effortlessly he tore his arm from his body and cast it onto the putrid creature before him.

His arm sunk into the sludge with a gurgling sound as air bubbles rose from the body and popped with a sickening burble being absorbed into its make up. Tendrils burst from Master Org's shoulder reforming his arm in a matter of seconds.

"It is no longer my concern," Master Org replied taking the Lunar Glaive from Toxica. "Now we have more important matters to attend to."

Taylor's eyes shifted from person to person as they walked through the small village. What few children remained were gathered together playing, blissfully unconcerned with anything beyond their present existence. Taylor envied their carefree exuberance.

As they continued on villagers waved at them; Taylor forced a smile and waved back feeling a little uncomfortable. She couldn't quiet place the reason, but something about their simple joy in living gnawed at her. She wasn't sure if she was angry about their ignorance, or, like the children, envious that they were content with just being alive and having a means to continue that life. Was it possible that her priorities and values had become skewed from having so much more growing up?

Before she could finish her train of thought they had passed beyond the village and came to an opening in a large mountain near the island's center. As they entered into the wide gap the area quickly expanded into a wondrous landscape of exotic trees and flowers, water cascaded down from a huge fall into a crystal blue pool surrounded by a meadow on one side and a high, smooth, rock plateau on the other that gently sloped down and vanished into the field of grass and flowers below.

The four of them began to climb the stone steps that led to the plateau. Alyssa was standing at the top of the stairs waiting for them. Her somber expression resonated with Taylor's mind and quickly washed away her questions about her own attitude. Alyssa forced a half smile as she nodded toward the others. Cole's face brightened as he smiled sincerely in response, the gesture producing a genuine smile on Alyssa's face, albeit subtle.

Taylor did feel pity for her; she had taken things far worse than anyone else. She had been taken from her home just prior to the impact of the suppression pods, too late to save her family. Even after all these years that wound was still as fresh as the day her tender heart had received it and present events, and the continued destruction only seemed to rip that wound open further crushing her spirit more and more each day. But somehow Cole seemed to be able to stave off the inevitable sorrow that was consuming her, as well as the pain consuming them all. As much as she had despised him at first she had to admit they would have probably been destroyed if not for him, if not by the enemy then by their own hopelessness.

"So what's this all about?' Max asked.

"Hope," a melodious voice replied.

The long drooping branches of a willow parted as a woman resplendent in white emerged. Her dress was like down and shone with a spotless brilliance. Upon her head she wore a circlet of interlaced branches of smooth white oak accentuated by precious stones, their rough, natural polish highlighting their innate beauty. She motioned to the Rangers to join her by the edge overlooking the pool below. Her whole being seemed to radiate with a pure aura.

"What do you mean, hope?" Alyssa asked, the words causing a glassy haze to form in her eyes and she struggled with her belief in such a thing.

"Look," Princess Shayla replied, her voice soft and soothing.

The Rangers looked over the edge as images began to appear in the water. Three fireballs fell from the sky impacting in the barren ground of Angel Grove. The image quickly shifted in a froth of bubbles showing two individuals emerging from the crater, the image putting emphasis on the crests on their respective arm bands splitting the image and superimposing the two symbols forming the yin-yang pattern.

"What are those?" Max asked.

"The Dragon and the Phoenix," Princess Shayla replied. "The great guardians, it was said in ancient times that they bestowed great power on the warriors of Animaria and created the Guardian Beasts, what you now call the Wild Zords."

"And you think these two are those same all powerful beings?" Taylor asked a little cynical.

"I do not know," Princess Shayla replied. "But see the power they wield."

The image changed again as they witnessed the transformation of Joshua into the Dragon Ranger, then a ripple of gasps went through the group as he destroyed his Org attacker in a single strike.

"That's what I'm talking about," Max replied as he jumped up swinging his arms around in excitement. "I already love these guys."

"That was a single hit," Taylor half-whispered in disbelief.

"We could actually win," Alyssa whispered as a single tear ran down her cheek.

"Where are these gods?" Cole asked.

"Hold on," Taylor replied, Cole's words snapping her from her daze. "They may be powerful, but you saw him morph, they're Rangers, just like us, they're not gods."

"If they can do that to an Org they can be whatever they want," Max replied with a laugh.

Taylor shot him a hard look, causing him to cringe and be silent.

"Still," Danny began. "They do have a lot of strength,"

"Yes," Taylor replied. "That much I think we can agree on."

"So where are they?' Cole repeated.

"The mountains outside Angel Grove, near the Scin Noir," Shayla replied.

Taylor felt her body shudder slightly at the mention of that place. Scin Noir was an ancient Animarian expression that loosely meant 'Den of Demons'. More precisely it was a nest of Orgs, but not just any Orgs; Orgs that had possessed technology from Zordon's Rangers. No one was sure why, but for some reason these abominations returned to the former site of the Command Center, and there they waited, sleeping in the dark abyss beneath the mountain. The remaining resistance had classified the area as a black zone; anyone who went there was already considered dead.

"The Scin Noir?" Alyssa asked scarcely able to believe it.

"I hope for their sakes they really are gods," Max replied gravely.

"I don't see it," Kimberly replied looking out over the ridge. "It should be right over there on one of those mountains. I don't remember that crater or that sinkhole though."

"I don't see anything either," Josh replied. "But we're losing daylight fast," he said looking back as the sun was sinking beyond the distant horizon. "We need to move."

Kimberly nodded as the two began to climb cautiously down the slope. The terrain was very different from what Kimberly remembered, but she knew the mountain range to the east was familiar, the Command Center should be here, but there should also be a low path through these mountains.

Suddenly a horrible thought flashed in her mind.

"Josh?" she called, her voice shaking.

"What's wrong?" Josh asked looking around quickly upon hearing the stress in her voice.

"I think that crater is what's left of the Command Center,"

"What?"

"I think this is exactly where the Command Center use to be," she repeated as her voice trailed off.

Josh looked around in disbelief, but he couldn't argue with the logic of her thought, the crater did seem unusually sloped compared to the rest of the terrain and the sinkhole did appear somewhat unnatural in shape and size. But what could have done this? The Command Center was suppose to be on a mountaintop, that would mean that not only was the structure gone, but the whole mountain on which it had rested had been annihilated. His mind raced as he tried to remember all the enemies the Rangers had ever encountered, trying to remember anything that might have been capable of this level of destruction, but he was only drawing a blank. It would take a high yield explosive to be placed in the mountain, something along the line of a nuclear warhead, but even then there would simply be a crater, unless this tunnel was where something had bored up before detonating, or was he just grasping at straws?

"What do we do now?" Kimberly asked breaking his chain of thought.

"I, I don't know," Josh replied leaning back against the mountain staring up at the darkening sky. "I don't know," he repeated in a whisper.

"I want to go down and have a look," she said after a moment of silence. "I have to make sure,"

"Okay," Josh replied. "Let's go,"

The two of them began to perform a controlled slide down the steep slope, working their way down to a level area toward the north of the sinkhole. Josh watched as some rocks broke free and rolled ahead of them tumbling over the ground and falling into the gapping cavern. He held out his hand for a moment causing Kimberly to stop.

"What are you…?" she began before he raised a finger to his lips.

The silence lasted for nearly half a minute before Josh lowered his hand.

"I wanted to try and hear how long it took those rocks to hit," he said. "But it looks like that hole is just too deep."

"Maybe we should go further left," Kimberly suggested.

"Good idea,"

They began moving down the slope again veering more to the north hoping to get a greater distance from the hole. After a few seconds Josh paused again.

"What is it?" Kimberly asked coming to a stop.

"Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Kimberly asked softly.

"That," Josh replied feeling something shake deep underground. "It's like a tremor, but more rhythmic, almost like footsteps…"

A low rumble suddenly emanated from beneath the earth, like a growl, echoing through the high mountains.

"What was that?" Kimberly asked quietly.

"I think something lives in that hole," Josh whispered.

Before either of them could say another word a large metal hand shot up over the edge and took hold of the surface. The armor was torn and had heavy scorching around the exposed joints and inner workings. Immediately Josh noticed the hand was not humanoid in design.

Then a large shape began to emerge from the darkness, a long head rose out of the darkness, glowing yellow eyes fixed on the two of them, Kimberly recognized it as she saw the dull red patches around the tattered head as the mouth opened in a fanged maw of twisted and torn metal.

"It can't be," she said.

"Morph, now!" Josh shouted.

Kimberly ran her hand over the crests on her Morpher as another object shot into the sky with a deafening screech.

"DNA locked," a voice responded. "Morpher Online,"

Kimberly's body began to change in a blaze of light as a fiery pink armor formed over her body. A golden flame pattern ran down the side of her arms, torso and legs, outlined in a metallic fuchsia. Wisps of flame ran around the pattern almost like leaves. Bracers appeared over her arms etched with a feather pattern that shifted in color through a range of burning yellows, oranges, reds, and pinks. White boots with metallic pink rims formed over her feet as a golden image of a phoenix appeared on her chest, its wings stretching back over her shoulders as a shield formed over the image, the fiery body of the phoenix held within the diamond shape as the wings extended over her shoulders and joined on her back; the shield shone with the same brilliance and array of colors as her bracers. A white belt formed around her waist with an icon like Josh's except the phoenix was in brilliant metallic pink and the dragon icon in gold. Talons extended from her finger tips as a fiery pink helmet formed over her head. The visor was simple, but elegant, sweeping around the edge of her field of vision, its surface a reflective array of fiery colors. Above her visor a beak protruded slightly as the image of the phoenix's head wrapped around the top of the helmet, crests like small wings ran up and back along the side of the helmet creating a narrow point near the upper portion of the back of her head; a feathery pattern ran along the helmet, the fine lines highlighted in a shimmering gold. As her morphing process completed everything around Kimberly exploded in flames as a swirling vortex of fire reached into the heavens illuminating the darkening sky for a brief moment.

Josh ran his hand over his Morpher as lightning fell from the sky striking his body as he transformed in a flash of deep blue light. Midnight blue blades like axe heads extended from his arms, running along his forearms and beyond his elbows by nearly a foot and extending out passed his wrists by two feet, the edge betraying a small gleam of silver.

Kimberly's arms shot out to her sides as two large metal fans formed in her hands, the jagged-edged feather-shaped blades were a radiant gold with a fiery red glowing in the fine lines that created the texture.

Suddenly the ground around them exploded in a shower of rock and dust as missiles impacted the ground less than twenty feet from where they stood. Josh and Kimberly both leapt back as the dust was quickly swept away by the tattered form of the Pterodactyl Zord tearing overhead, climbing steeply from its dive to avoid the mountain. Kimberly watched in shocked awe as the Zord she once piloted banked sharply away, its form a marred wreck compared with its former splendor. The metal frame was torn and twisted like the Tyrannosaur Zord; its colors faded and scuffed leaving dull patches of tarnished metal over its surface. Kimberly was snapped back into the moment as the Tyrannosaurus fired with its sonic cannon starting an avalanche behind them.

Josh and Kimberly both leapt into the air soaring over the Tyrannosaurus and crater, landing on the opposite mountainside.

Josh turned to be greeted by a fanged maw charging up from the black abyss as the ruined form of the Sabretooth Tiger sprang from its shadowy depths. Lightning burst from his hands surging into the jaws of the Zord heating the alloy to a red glow as drops of the melting metal sprayed from the teeth like drops of blood. Josh flew to the side as the beast trampled his former position.

Kimberly looked to see that Josh had gotten out of the way as the Zord thundered passed them before turning her attention back toward the Tyrannosaurus. With a shout she hurled both her fans in succession at the back of the lumbering creature. The golden fans twirled in furious arcs cutting deep gashes in the back of the Zord as the armor was burned away in the flames that radiated from the weapons; slag ran down the Zord's back from the thin slits before hardening into a blackened mass.

Josh gathered his thoughts; the lightning hadn't done as much as he had hoped, but then his primary powers were wind and water weren't they? When he considered it, in nature, lightning was really no match for the torrents of destruction that could be unleashed by a raging wind or a roaring wall of water. Looking to the sky he saw the Pterodactyl coming around again. Planting his feet firmly in a wide stance he raised his hands to the sky and unleashed a swirling vortex of wind. The spinning cyclone stirred up dust quickly becoming visible as it whipped through the sky catching the Zord in its clutches and hurling it to the ground.

The earth shook as a spray of debris flew into the air raining down all around them as the Zord buried itself into the mountainside. Josh suspected that it would only be a matter of time before it would get free, but that might be enough time. He turned as the Sabretooth Tiger spun on the mountainside and charged back down at him. Lightning flashed in his visor as he leapt at the Zord slashing into the left foot at the joint. His blades cut deep into the corroded armor severing mechanical muscles and actuators.

The Zord stumbled forward as Josh dove clear; the foot tucking back under the leg, causing the Zord to tumble into a somersault. Josh leapt up to his feet in time to see the tumbling Zord fly from the edge of the crater and plow into the Tyrannosaurus knocking the machine from its perch on the other side of the cave. Kimberly rushed to Josh's side as they watched the two abominations plummet back into the dark depths.

"Is it over?" Kimberly asked.

"I doubt it," Josh replied regarding the trashing of the Pterodactyl Zord as it sought to free itself. "I think we should get out of here before anything else comes out of that hole though."

Kimberly nodded in agreement as the two began to move quickly up the mountainside.

"What could have happened to the Zords?" Kimberly wondered aloud as they scrambled up the stone face.

"It looks to me like it's the same thing that happened with that subway train," Josh replied glancing back over his shoulder. "Look out!"

Josh dove down the mountainside, catching Kimberly as the two rolled downward, barely avoiding a hail of magenta darts that ravaged the rock face. Josh and Kimberly jumped to their feet to find themselves confronted by several black hulks. There were four, each had a head similar to the Zords, but were much smaller, no more than twice the size of a person. Dim lines glowed from their forms, pink, blue, red, and green.

"What are those?" Josh asked stepping forward to stand between Kimberly and these new enemies.

"I don't know,"

The arm of the pink machine rose as a glowing beam extended perpendicular to the arm, a single point on the wrist lighting with a fuchsia glow.

"No!" Kimberly shouted pushing passed Josh. Her fans began to spin wildly in her hands as the first bolts reached her, being rapidly split and smashed on the hard fan blades. "Go! I've got this," she shouted.

"Right," Josh responded as he leapt into the air flying at the war machines.

As he approached, the pink hulk turned its attack on Josh as weapons flashed from the wrist gauntlets of the other three. Josh folded his blades over his body, shielding himself from his head to almost his knees, as Kimberly hurled one of her fans down the mountainscape; the first bolts only just striking Josh's defense as the pterodactyl machine was bifurcated at the torso spraying a thick fluid into the air as the legs fell backward and slid slowly down the mountain and the upper body hit the ground and tumbled back toward the hole.

Josh landed between the three machines catching a short bladed strike from the green hulk with a dragon head before turning toward the triceratops hulk and slashing across its chest. The machine moved to block with its half lances, but the dark blade of the Dragon Ranger loped through the weapons and carved into the chest unleashing a flood of lubricating fluid as a crackle of sparks danced from the gash igniting the fluid.

Josh turned back toward the dragon and pushed it back with his one blade as he threw a reverse roundhouse into the side of the triceratops sending it tumbling down the slope. The tyrannosaurus lunged at him with a slash, but Josh dropped under it and cut through the legs of the abomination causing it to fall forward at him as Kimberly's fan returned slashing through the chest of the dragon.

Dragon Ranger thrust his arms up spearing the tyrannosaurus through the chest as it fell forward and cast it down the mountain before he turned and leapt into the air kicking the head of the twitching dragon machine in, tearing it from the frame as the ruined hulk fell back toward the hole. As Josh landed the triceratops tumbled over the edge of the pit exploding in a ball of flames.

Josh watched the light from the flames subside as the burning wreck plunged to the unfathomable depths below. Kimberly joined him at his side, her fans vanishing in a flash of fiery light.

"And still nothing," Josh replied as the light from the flames became unperceivable. "That hole must be incredibly deep." He said as his blades retracted in a flash of deep purple light, the sudden thumping of the Pterodactyl Zord's single free wing reminding him they still weren't out of danger.

"Let's get out of here," Kimberly said placing a hand on his back.

"Yeah," Josh replied glancing over at the massive Zord as it struggled like a bird caught in a net.

The air suddenly lit a luminous green, the Phoenix Ranger and Dragon Ranger flew in opposite directions narrowly avoiding the attack as a ball of green plasma splattered against the ground reducing the area to molten slag.

Josh and Kimberly both turned to see the ominous form of the Dragon Zord rising from the pit. The crest on its head was smashed apart and, like the Zords before it, was a mess of corroded and twisted metal. The left eye was blown out revealing a series of twisting optics as it focused on its prey. Behind it the Tyrannosaurus was rising again; its right leg already on the edge of the precipice. Josh cursed himself for not having paid more attention; it was obvious that the thrashing from the Pterodactyl Zord had kept him from noticing the more subtle vibrations of these advancing beasts. On the far side of the opening Josh also noticed two heavy chains leading up out of the pit and a large blue head winching its way toward the surface.

"I think we may need to use Mode Omega," Josh said.

As he said that the interior of his visor shifted to a red hue with the words 'Mode Omega' flashing on his HUD asking him if he wanted to engage. He opened his mouth to speak when suddenly a haunting melody began to drift through the mountains, barely audible over the drone of the Zord's movement. Josh froze; the eerie sound was strangely familiar to him, though he was certain he had never heard it before.

The Dragon Zord also froze for a moment, its limbs twitching as if suddenly jammed by an outside force. The left hand suddenly jerking up violently as it sent a spray of missiles into the mountainside above Josh and Kimberly.

Josh turned in time to see the Green Ranger fly from the mountain peak as it exploded in a torrent of dust and fire and land behind an outcropping of rocks. Kimberly dodged as rocks tumbled down the mountainside, moving back toward Josh.

The melody began again, louder this time, the tune slightly different. Dragon Zord flailed its arms back smashing its left forearm across the chest of the Tyrannosaurus, mechanisms screaming within the Dragon Zord's body as it sought to overpower this hold the Green Ranger had on its being. The Tyrannosaurus staggered back slipping over the edge, both arms suddenly reaching forward as it caught a hold of the edge, its mangled claws digging into the rock with a horrible grinding sound.

Kimberly caught sight of the Triceratops Zord as the Tyrannosaur Zord dropped down and manifested her fans, hurling them across the gap severing the chains from the Triceratops Zord as it precariously balanced on the edge. The chains whipped back at the Zord as the fans slit the links, sending it back to the depths of the abyss.

Dragon Zord opened its mouth, the interior glowing with a pale green light as it searched for a target, the optics in its left eye twitching as it searched for its quarry. A bolt of deep pink suddenly shot from the mountain top through the cloud of dust hitting the Dragon Zord in its damaged eye. There was an explosion of magenta light as metal scrape flew from the eye. Dragon Zord staggered slightly as its head thrashed back and forth. Kimberly caught her returning fans as they glanced off the surface of the Tyrannosaurus' head. She was at a loss to explain these actions; it was as if the Zords actually felt pain from these attacks, as if they were somehow more than just machines now.

Josh thrust his hands forward causing a strong wind to blow toward the two remaining Zords. The Dragon Zord widened its stance, bracing itself against the wind, despite its difficulties in moving, as the Tyrannosaurus continued to pull itself from the pit, dragging its body along the ground.

Kimberly instantly banished her fans in a flash of flame as she coordinated with Josh and knelt, slamming her palms into the ground. The mountain range shook as the cavern widened taking both Zords, along with the ground they held down into the darkness. Dragon Zord reached out taking hold of a solid piece of earth trying to pull itself back up.

Suddenly three streaks of light flew over the western mountains firing a rapid succession of plasma bolts severing two fingers from the Zord's hand. As the small lance shaped craft ripped over the open space toward the other Rangers the Dragon Zord tumbled back into the depths, the metal body scrapping against the hard stone surface as it fell, tumbling over backward as it spun down out of sight.

"Look out!" a Ranger in red shouted from one of the craft above, his voice sounding very familiar to Kimberly.

Josh and Kimberly turned to see the Pterodactyl had freed itself from the mountain and was faltering toward the two Rangers, its wings flapping furiously as its engines roared, trying to attain flight as it bounced and skidded along the ground. As if by instinct Kimberly erected a towering wall of stone from the side of the slope. The floundering Zord lacked the time to avoid it and plowed into the wall. Rock exploded out in every direction as the stone construct shattered half burying the Zord under the rumble. With a final effort Kimberly jumped up and thrust her hands forward sending the rubble sliding down into the pit along with the Zord.

"Up here!" the Blue Ranger shouted from the mountain peak waving them up.

Josh and Kimberly began to climb rapidly as the Rangers above held a line at the top watching their backs. Josh could see Rangers in Blue, Pink, and Green from the original team along with the Quantum Ranger and Time Force Green, so Trip must still be alive. Behind them were the strange craft they had been riding. They appeared to be some form of flying bikes having a long slender shape like a lance with twin pods toward the back which Josh could only assume were the engines.

As they neared the top of the mountain they could see an opening, a portal, hanging in the air, its clear surface looked like the distortion caused by heat in the summer, but it shone with a pale white light. The Red Ranger stepped through the portal manifesting his sword as he quickly ran to join the others.

"What's going on?" Kimberly shouted as they reached the top.

There was a brief pause as the Blue Ranger looked at her quizzically.

"There's no time," Billy replied shaking off his sudden interest. "Get through the portal, we'll explain later."

"Let's go Kim," Josh replied taking hold of her arm as he moved passed her.

"You okay Billy?" Trip asked noticing Billy's vacant stare as the two Rangers ran toward the gateway.

"Yeah, I think so, it's nothing," he replied shaking the thought off.

With Josh and Kimberly almost at the gateway the other Rangers mounted their jet bikes, riding two to a bike. Red Ranger glanced back down the slope one last time. Large cables like tentacles suddenly whipped out from the darkness and slammed down on the rock around the crater as a low roar could be heard from deep underground accompanied by the howl of twisting metal. In the darkness Red Ranger could see a myriad of glowing eyes rising from the shadows growing larger and more intense.

"We need to go now!" he shouted.

The jet bikes lifted from the ground turning quickly in the air before accelerating toward the portal. Josh and Kimberly hit the surface of the portal at the same moment the Rangers flew through above them.

In a flash they had been transported. There was a white flash of light and then suddenly everything had changed. Josh was suddenly awestruck by the vision that was before him as the disorientation from being transported dissipated. He was greeted by a watery blue sky above a city of white marble. Plants grew and flourished over the plain that spanned the expanse from the gleaming white city to the rocky ground and trees beyond. As the gateway shut behind them Josh could hear the shouts of children playing and the rustle of human activity somewhere beyond his sight.

"Where are we?" Josh asked as he removed his helmet.

"This is…" Billy began as Josh's helmet came off. "…No, it can't be…" he said as he fell to his knees removing his own helmet, his face was pale as he starred at Josh, shock written across his face.

"Billy?" Kimberly replied taking off her own helmet. "Are you okay?" she asked seeing his condition. "What's wrong?"

"Two Kimberlys?" the Quantum Ranger replied in shock.

"Two?" Kimberly responded. "Does that mean you're me from this world?" she asked turning toward the Pink Ranger.

"Actually," the Pink Ranger replied removing her helmet. "I'm not,"

"I am," a voice said to Kimberly's left.

Kimberly turned as the Green Ranger removed her helmet finding herself starring at an almost identical reflection. Her hair was cut shorter, but she was otherwise identical; her eyes were glistening as she looked passed Kimberly toward Josh.

"This just officially exceeded my weird limit," Kimberly replied oblivious to the tears forming in the Green Rangers.

"I have some questions I want answered." The Green Ranger said biting her lip, trying to keep her emotions in control.

"So do I," Kimberly replied looking into her twin's eyes. In that moment Kimberly noticed the glistening in the Green Ranger's eyes as a single drop ran down her cheek.


End file.
